InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Future Incarnations: Inuyasha 2030 ❯ Dinner and Demons ( Chapter 9 )

Dinner and Demons

 

Kagome was carefully preparing the `Shabu Shabu' meal for her fiancée's household. Shabu Shabu was named after the sound the water in the pot made as it boiled. It was actually a simple meal. A pot of boiling water was put in the middle and then vegetables, tofu and meat were cut up into small, thin portions and were placed around the pot. During the dinner participants would dip the meat or vegetables into the pot to cook them. By the time the meal was over all of the extra food was put into the pot to make a flavorful soup that would finish off the meal. Kagome was carefully slicing up the vegetables and putting them into small white bowls. Her hands were deft and the ensemble that she had prepared looked like a professional chef had made it.

 

Kagome thought back as to why she was here and why she was making the meal.

 

“Inuyasha. I can't be out at night. You know that. It's dangerous,”said Kagome.

 

“It's only one night Kagome. Sango and Miroku will be there. I don't want to risk your safety either. But it's tradition and it will make my mother happy.”

 

“Yes, tradition,” sighed Kagome as she blew at her own bangs in frustration.

 

Inuaysha kissed her on the forehead. “You know I love you, don't you koibito?” asked Inuyasha.

 

“Yes, you baka,” said Kagome as she grabbed his kosode in both of her hands and then stood up to kiss him gently on the lips. “Just get me home as quickly as possible when this is done.”

 

In Japan the mother-in-law had all of the power and control in the family. However, since this was the 21st century things had changed somewhat. Mother-in-law's were once considered the bane of any engaged or newly married woman. Now they were only people that you would need to respect and hopefully curry favor with. And the one tradition that had still been kept even in this century is that a newly engaged woman would cook a dinner for her husband's-to-be family to meet their approval. The formal dinner was a way that the daughter-in-law could prove that she would be a good wife and could take care of the mother's son.

 

“How could Mrs. Moroboshi possibly know that this tradition puts me in danger?” she thought. At least the location of the dinner was at a temple. She would be in no danger there. And to make doubly sure she had Inuyasha and Miroku put up sutras all over the shrine the day before she arrived. As long as she stayed on the temple grounds she was safe. But Mrs. Moroboshi would certainly not let her stay the night. It would be improper. So Inuyasha and Kagome had done their best to work out a plan to get Kagome back home as quickly and as safely as possible.

 

Kagome sighed as she sliced the steak into paper-thin slices. Everything was set for dinner. She had already laid out the dinner table. Black lacquer plates and side dishes had already been placed on the table. And to the side was an iced bottle of sake that sat in a small ice filled lacquer box.

 

“Inuyasha,” she called. “Can you help me get this boiling pot to the dinner table?”

 

Inuyasha was there immediately. He was wearing a grey bandanna and brown contacts again, much to Kagome's disapproval. However, tonight was about making his mother happy with the impending marriage. There was no need to upset her with his obvious demon heritage.

 

He seemed a little nervous about the event. But his obviously adoring gaze of Kagome helped break the tension. “I have it. Boy, this is hot,” said Inuyasha as he carried the boiling fondue pot to the middle of the table and started to hook up the power source that would keep the water bubbling lightly all dinner long.

 

Sango and Miroku soon walked in. “May I help?” asked Sango.

 

Kagome smiled. “Yes, I would like some help. But, no I cannot really have any more help. The tradition states that I am the only one who prepares and makes the dinner. But you can help me with the dishes afterward!” she said smiling.

 

“So why is Inuyasha helping?” saked Sango with a grin. Inuyasha quickly bumped his head on the bottom of the table as he was trying to get the power source hooked up.

 

“Gah!” he yelled and a few colorful curses escaped his mouth.

 

“Inuyasha,” whispered Kagome. “Your Mom is here…”

 

Kagome turned and smiled at Sango. “I'm just a weak human. I couldn't possibly lift the pot myself.” She smiled deviously at the man huddled under the table who was trying not to curse again. “I need a strong man to help me,” she said as she smirked and the hanyou under the table peeked out his head and smiled back at her thoughtfully before going back to his task. But this time he was humming and seemed much happier.

 

“There,” said Kagome. “Everything is done. Can someone get the Moroboshi's and can everyone SIT at the table?”

 

“Arrgh!”, yelled Inuyasha as he felt himself get plastered to the floor.

 

“Oh Kami! Inuyasha, I am so sorry I didn't mean to…,” murmured Kagome as she rushed to help pick Inuyasha off of the floor. Sango and Miroku both looked at them in confusion. Why was Inuyasha suddenly plastered on the floor?

 

“Can you just not use that WORD, please,” asked Inuyasha.

 

“I'm sorry, please forgive me,” she asked as her eyes met his. Suddenly the pained look in Inuyasha's eyes were softened and all of the sudden their lips almost met.

 

“Ahem.” Someone was coughing. Mr. and Mrs. Moroboshi soon made it into the dining room.

 

Kagome turned to bow deeply and reverently as was fitting for a woman who was meeting her future mother-in-law. “How do you do Mrs. Moroboshi,” said Kagome. Then she murmured “dozo” as she gestured at the table. Soon Inuyasha, Kagome, Mr. and Mrs. Moroboshi, Miroku and Sango found themselves sitting at a round table with a pot of Shabu Shabu bubbling happily in the middle.

 

“I am well,” said Mrs. Moroboshi and then she smiled and tried to break the tension. “Your dinner looks lovely child. How did you learn to cook?”

 

“My grandmother taught me,” said Kagome.

 

“Oh, not your mother?”

 

“My mother died when I was a child. It broke my father's heart. But I always had my grandmother around. She was really like a second mother to me.”

 

“Oh, I am sorry to hear that. I am glad that you still have family with you. Where do you live?”

 

“Hirugashi Shrine, it's just a few minutes away…”

 

“Hirugashi Shrine? You are a Hirugashi?”

 

“Yes, Mrs. Moroboshi,” said Kagome as she smiled.

 

“So do you work at the shrine?” asked Mrs. Morosboshi.

 

“Yes, I am a miko at the shrine. I also study at Tokyo University. Inuyasha has been walking me to and from my classes every day for a few weeks now.”

 

“Oh, so I have heard. He wouldn't even show up at home for a while. I was pretty angry at him.”

 

Inuyasha seemed a little embarrassed and tried not to scowl.

 

“So Kagome. You are a Hirugashi. Does your family own the shrine?”

 

“Yes, I am the only child of my father. The shrine will pass to me. My father has already asked that Inuyasha live with us after the marriage. I hope that you will agree.”

 

Mrs. Moroboshi hummed to herself as if in agreement. “Child. You are a miko. Do you know what Inuyasha is?”

 

“He's a half-demon,” said Kagome without batting an eye. “I knew that almost immediately from when I first met him.”

 

“So a miko and a half-demon. Then you are aware and this doesn't bother you?” she asked pointedly. Inuyasha cringed at the question. Leave it up to his mother to say something that made him want to turn his head away.

 

“I love Inuyasha more than anything else in the world, Mrs. Moroboshi. He has my heart. It doesn't matter to me if he was half-demon. I love him--all of him,” said Kagome with sincerity.

 

Inuyasha couldn't help but beaming in pride at his fiancé. He was positively giddy. He really didn't know how he could come down from this high.

 

“Well, Inuyasha. You are very lucky to have found this girl,” said Mrs. Moroboshi thoughtfully as she picked up a vegetable with her chopsticks and swished it in the pot.

 

Inuyasha could only beam in happiness at the moment. “I know, mother, I know…”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“So are you ready?” asked Inuyasha to Kagome, Sango and Miroku. Both Inuyasha and Sango had changed after the dinner to better prepare for their escorting mission back to the Hirugashi Shrine. Inuyasha had on a red kimono and black hakama pants with his sword at his side. Sango was wearing her black Ninjitsu uniform (the gi), which hugged nearly every curve of her body.

 

Miroku was simply pacing and fuming as he saw how seriously everyone was taking their roles. “You can't be serious!” said Miroku. “No demons are going to attack her. Are you crazy?”

 

Inuyasha's patience was being severely tested tonight. “Shut up Miroku. Sango and I have already gone over this with you many times. If you don't believe us then stay at home. We are going to protect Kagome.”

 

“Are you certain it's not the Yakuza or something? Maybe they're just dressing up to look like demons?”

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “I am certain. Do you have the sword with you, Roku?”

 

“Uh yes,” said Miroku as he took the sharp sword from his scabbard and tried a few experimental swings. “After all of my kendo classes this is so weird--to hold a real sword. I'm used to a wooden bokun.”

 

“Alright, then we're almost done,” said Inuyasha. “Have your bow ready Kagome and climb on my back,” he said as he bent down to pick her up and Kagome happily got on.

 

“Oh,” said Miroku as he bent down with his hands gently squeezing the open air behind him. “Sango, I think that you need to get on my back as well. Just for safety's sake!”

 

“Hentai!” Sango yelled as she hit him with the butt of the sai she was holding.

 

Miroku was having trouble focusing on anything else but Sango right now. She was wearing her ninjitsu garb which was a lovely form fitting black outfit. It showed her every curve and he was itching to touch her--especially that lovely curvy ass of hers. He also briefly noticed that she also had sai's strapped to her side. She looked dangerous and sexy all at one time. He really was having a difficulty in not getting a hard-on right then and there.

 

“Oh Sango. What you do to me,” he thought as he saw the lovely curved woman turn and sashay away from him. The sai's that were strapped to her side only further accentuated the movement of her hips swaying left and right as she walked.

 

“Not so fast,” Miroku yelled. “I think a woman like you needs someone to look after her,” he murmured.

 

Sango only rolled her eyes. “As if a hentai could protect me… Come on, quick. Get running!” She yelled. Miroku gulped as he tried to keep up with her. “Still,” he thought. “If I HAVE to watch her lovely ass running in front of me all night…” He let that thought slide as he grinned.

 

Soon the entire group was running at a fast pace. They would have about ten minutes of fast running to get to Hirugashi shrine and once they were within the Torii gates, the sutras would keep out any demons.

 

After about five minutes of running Miroku felt the air start to chill noticeably. Soon his breath was visible. “What? It's still Fall, how could it get cold so quickly?” he thought.

 

“Down!” yelled Inuyasha as Kagome got down off of his back. “Everyone back to back!”

 

Soon the entire group of four were standing with their backs to each other.

 

Miroku noticed how silent and still everything was. Considering that this was downtown Tokyo, why wasn't there anyone else around? It was too silent and cold. The chilly air went deep and penetrated his bones. It felt like a dense cold fog has seeped right into his soul. Then he felt something unmistakable. Since he had been raised at a Buddhist temple the idea of `evil” had often been taught. He had often heard how evil felt and how it would wash over you in horror. He had never felt more horrified than he had ever felt in his life. The feeling of absolute terror, coldness, evil and something with the intention of doing him harm swarmed over him in waves. It took all of his training that he had learned from his father to not give in to the utter despair that he felt. He took out his sword from his scabbard and wasn't too surprised that he wasn't the only one.

 

Inuyasha's old, mangled blade suddenly came to life and seemed over three meters long! It glowed and it soon became the one light beacon of hope their party. Kagome had her bow drawn and ready. Sango had both sai's in front of her ready to do battle.

 

Then `they' came. Miroku didn't know exactly what `they' were, but somehow his soul had already told him the answer. They were the personification of evil--demons. They were only shadows at first, but soon they started to congeal in front of them and took on shapes. The shapes were large and there were hundreds of them swarming against them all at once.

 

“Shit!” said Inuyasha “More than last time...”

 

Miroku didn't know what the last time was like. But he knew this wasn't going to be easy. Inuyasha was quickly slashing away with his large glowing sword at black demons that kept on creeping into existence. Kagome was quickly firing arrows of pure, unadulterated light that withered away a demon with their touch. Miroku felt that whatever Kagome was doing, it was holy. He could sense that as well. Her arrows helped to erase some of the gnawing fear that overcame them. With her arrows there was hope.

 

Sango had a sai in both hands and was bludgeoning any demonic presence that bothered to get too near to her. He found that her attacks were the least effective of the group so far. Inuyasha's and Kagome's attacks seemed mystical. Whereas Sango had only traditional Ninjitsu attacks to fend off the attackers.

 

Suddenly something sprang at Miroku and his many years of kendo training came into play. He defended himself with a hard slashing motion and the demon in front of him bled black blood. Then it fell to the ground, changed into smoke and then vanished into thin air. But there was no time to congratulate himself. The demons were coming again. They were coming in waves and he really didn't think that he would be able to keep up.

 

Suddenly Inuyasha broke himself away from the party. “Stay behind me Kagome!” he yelled. “Wind Scar!” he screamed as a blinding flash of energy and lightening danced off of his sword and made it's way towards a horde of demons trying to attack them. Soon hundreds of black demons wavered and faded away as if they were smoke against the bright onslaught.

 

However, just as Inuyasha took down those demons--more came to take their place. Soon the tide of battle seemed to be changing toward the demons that were attacking them. There were too many, they came too fast and they were feeling overwhelmed.

 

Then they heard a billowing laughter coming from above. “Ku ku ku…,” murmured a voice. Miroku could barely make out a black figure that seemed to be human in form that floated above them with a large black cape that wavered in the wind. The face was dark and hard to see. But he could see long black hair and malicious maroon eyes that glowed in the dark.

 

“I only want one of you,” The voice demanded. “Surrender and give me Kagome or everyone will die.”

 

“Naraku, you son of a bitch!” yelled Inuyasha. “Get away from her!”

 

“Oh, you don't understand,” Naraku murmured. “I'll never give up. I need her and I will have her. She is the only one who can do it…”

 

Suddenly, a figure appeared out of nowhere. The darkened figure moved quickly forward and grabbed Kagome by the waist as she yelped. It was hard to make out who it was. It was a man with short brown hair, a black outfit and deep red eyes. The figure floated up toward Naraku.

 

“Kagome!” screamed Inuyasha. “Get your hands off of her you bastard!”

 

“Yes, bring her to me my servant!” intoned Naraku. Then he chuckled, but it was a laugh void of humor. “Inuyasha. You can never protect your women. Kagome will suffer the same fate as Kikyo did, so long ago…”

 

Soon the two demon-like men drew together in the air with the servant holding Kagome in a vice-like grip that she seemed to be trying to struggle out of.

 

Naraku droned on, “There's little you can do now...is there Inuyasha? If you attack me with your sword you could kill Kagome. And you wouldn't want that, would you?”

 

“You bastard!” yelled Inuyasha as he tried to leap into the air after Naraku.

 

“I bid you farewell, half-breed. I have what I wanted,” said Naraku as he and the other demonic creature started to fly away.

 

At that instance Kagome yelled and a faint pink glow could be seen from her hands as she gripped the hands that held her and the demon-like man screamed in agony. “Burn demon!” she screamed. The man who held her could no longer hold on as her hands lanced him with pain. Kagome started to fall to the ground.

 

Inuyasha had already leapt into the air and now he changed his trajectory to catch Kagome. He caught her bridal style as she smiled and put her hands around his neck.

 

Suddenly another figure flew in from above with long silver hair and a white kimono, everyone on the ground could hear him scream, “Bakusaiga!”

 

Swiftly, with one stroke, half of the demons attacking them started to dissolve and melt away as if they were rotting from the inside. Though the rest of the party was still trying to fight, the added strength of this man turned the tide back to their favor.

 

Naraku with the glowing red eyes grimaced and turned away seemingly afraid for the first time. “Sesshomaru,” the black demonic presence said. “We will meet again,” Naraku said as both demon-like men wavered and faded away as if they were only black smoke.

 

Any demons that might have been left wavered and evaporated away into nothingness. The air started to warm and Miroku could no longer see his breath.

 

Miroku them stared in amazement as the man who was flying gracefully landed next to Inuyasha and stared at him directly in the eyes with a cold look of ice. Cold amber eyes were facing the warmer molten gold of Inuyasha's eyes. The similarities were too much to be coincidental. This new man looked like an older version of Inuyasha. This Sesshomaru was much older, more calculating and impassioned. The only difference between the two of them, besides the obvious difference in age was that the older man had a small crescent moon on his forehead, purple stripes along his cheeks and had no dog-like ears. Miroku guessed that the man seemed to be about 40 years-old. That is if you could call him a man, he had just flown across the sky!

 

“Son”, said Sesshomaru with an impassioned look on his face as he looked at Inuyasha. “Or should I call you brother?”

 

“Father?” said Inuyasha. “Sesshomaru?”

 

“Where is Rin? Where is your mother?” Sesshomaru demanded.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Authors' Notes:

#1: My brother (an American) married a Japanese woman (from Japan). We were all a little shocked to have her ask to prepare a meal for my Mom (her new mother-in-law). My brother also told me how nervous she was since Japanese mother-in-laws are notorious for being mean to their daughter-in-laws. Anyway, we found out that new wives are supposed to cook for their new mother-in-law to show that they can properly care and feed their son. So it's a tradition still practiced today. She cooked us all a meal in 2006.

#2: I didn't quite have Inuyasha's attempt to get permission to marry Kagome from Souta down correctly. I found out from my brother that he had to go to the Japanese woman's father with a special bottle of sake to ask for her hand in marriage. I didn't have Inuyasha do this, but I'll assume that was because Inuyasha is brash and doesn't care too much about rituals.

#3: Dozo=Please come…

 

Next Chapter: Rin, Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango--their past explained. Stay tuned. See you next week. Please read and review!

 

The Winner of the `Who is the next Canon Character Contest?' is:

Tori Rex guessed correctly by saying the next canon character to show up would be `Sessomaru'. I was intrigued to see that Kouga nd Kikyo were the favorites instead of Fluffy. So as a reward for guessing correctly Tori Rex gets the next `unedited' chapter e-mailed ahead of schedule. Hummm..I think I'll come up with another contest again soon!

 

Special thanks to the following reviewers:

Tori Rex: Great guess with Fluffy! Yes, poor Hojo. The guy really suffered in the last chapter didn't he? I'm such an evil writer…As for the wedding details…I can't tell you now…that would be a spoiler. You'll see…

Nabikineum: Yep, that was the dark and evil chapter. I'm glad that you liked it. Now evil is here to stay. Poor Kagome and Inuyasha…

Blackdeathmessenger: Thanks. No Koga yet. I'm toying with putting a few more cannon characters into the plot. We'll see what happens. In my universe Koga is still around.

demon master inu: No Kikyo. Yes, Naraku showed up—more or less. But I figured everyone knew that was going to happen…

sofiakalaughable: Nope. Not Kikyo or Koga. Kikyo won't be showing up in my story, but maybe Koga.I'm glad you liked the proposal scene. I wanted it to have some humor in it.

Njblackwolf: Glad you like the new hothead. I've been wanting to write him as a more mature character.

Purple-Converse-AllStar: Ha ha! Yes, it seems pretty incredible to have Hojo as Naraku doesn't it? But actually Hojo isn't Naraku, he's just tied to him like Kagura. As to why, you'll find out more later.