InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Future Past ❯ Chapter 9: Where Do We Belong? ( Chapter 9 )

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi

 

 

Chapter 9: Where Do We Belong?

 

 

“My phone!” Inuyasha grabbed his cell phone from where they had left it weeks earlier, and shook it. “It doesn't work.”

 

Kagome laughed. The last time they'd been through the well, the cell phone was the farthest thing from his mind. Just because this time she'd told him they would have to announce their presence to her mother, it suddenly became a priority again. “You just have to re-charge it,” she told him. “Who are you planning on calling, anyway? We're still on vacation, remember? Can't you wait another week until we're `officially' back?”

 

Inuyasha grumbled something she couldn't catch, and stuffed the phone inside the sleeve of his haori before he helped her climb the ladder out of the well. He'd wanted to call Sesshomaru and see if he couldn't get a better time frame on when the two of them had `disappeared' from the past. He guessed it would have to wait now.

 

Kagome's mother was happy to see them, once they explained that they weren't quite finished with their feudal holiday yet, and were only back for a little while. She bustled around the house, preparing an extra bed in Souta's room. Kagome and Inuyasha exchanged glances. Her mother still wasn't going to allow them to stay together in her house. Now their dilemma was whether or not that would stop them. It was ironic, really. Her mother knew they shared an apartment in Connecticut, and she surely guessed that they were together in the feudal era as well. And before they were a couple, her mother had had no problem letting Inuyasha stay in Kagome's room—the times she knew about it, anyway. Yet now she absolutely refused to let them sleep together in her house. It wasn't fair.

 

Even so, it felt great to take a real bath and use real shampoo and soap to get clean. That part almost made it worth telling her mother that they were here. Kagome left the bathroom door open so nobody would get the wrong idea when she dragged Inuyasha in to wash his hair. He complained, mostly because it was expected, but actually he kind of liked it.

 

After supper, they sat with the family and watched television. Kagome's mother was perfectly fine with the two of them snuggling together on the sofa, holding hands and occasionally stealing kisses. It was Inuyasha who had trouble with it. His face flamed red, although he allowed Kagome to kiss him anyway.

 

Kagome explained why they had come back so unexpectedly. “I didn't know that Sango and Ayame were having babies. I didn't have anything to give them. I want to buy gifts for the babies before we go back to school, since I won't be able to see them when they are born.”

 

Inuyasha stared at her. That was why they had come back? That's what she meant by `shopping?' He'd thought she had run out of something important, like those baby-stopping pills of hers, or ramen. If he'd known what she had in mind, he wouldn't have let her talk him into coming. Not that he would have let her come back on her own, no, never again. Wherever she went, he went too. He wasn't going to take a chance that they would become separated ever again.

 

Kagome's mother's eyes softened at the mention of babies. What was it about women and babies? She and Kagome spent the rest of the evening brainstorming over what types of gifts to buy that would not leave traces on the environment in the future. Plastic was out, including disposable diapers, whatever they were. Inuyasha, bored, eventually wandered upstairs after Souta, and went to bed. He remembered to plug in his phone before he fell asleep.

 

Later, in the middle of the night, he woke up to Kagome's face looming over his in the darkness. She had her finger to her lips and beckoned for him to follow her. He rolled out of bed noiselessly, and padded behind her down the hallway. He was uneasy about going against Kagome's mother's wishes, and was a little surprised that Kagome would be willing to do so, therefore, he was slightly relieved when she bypassed her bedroom and quietly led him down the stairs and out the door. Trust his Kagome to find a way around their dilemma without disobeying her mother outright.

 

It was cold outside, but no worse than in the Sengoku Jidai. She motioned for him to jump into the branches of Goshinboku, and he obliged, sweeping her off her feet and catching a low-hanging bough. He swung himself up one-handed, the other hand firmly around Kagome, and navigated the branches until he found them a sturdy perch about half-way up. Now what? This wasn't exactly conducive to nocturnal activity of the sort he had in mind. What did Kagome have up her sleeve?

 

“I wanted to talk,” she said once they were settled.

 

“Oh.” Inuyasha was disappointed. He definitely didn't want to just talk.

 

“I know a place near here,” she continued. “It's a little shrine in the woods. Souta and I used to play there when we were younger. I don't know if I can find it, though.”

 

Inuyasha snorted. “Just point me in the right direction. I'll find it.”

 

It wasn't much, but it was away from Kagome's house, had four walls and a roof. And it was theirs for the night.

 

They made sure to get back to Kagome's house before dawn, climbing in through her bedroom window. Inuyasha snuck back down the hallway to Souta's room and crawled back into bed to grab a few hours' more sleep.

 

During breakfast the next morning, Kagome peeked glances at her mother to see if their deception had been noticed. Inuyasha, catching the glances, gave a little shake of his head. No, her mother didn't smell upset or angry. Now, if only Kagome would stop looking so guilty, they would be fine. Maybe he ought to just `marry' Kagome, and then her mother would allow them to stay together in her room. He'd ask Kagome what she thought about it later.

 

He had to dress in his modern clothes to go shopping. He'd forgotten how uncomfortable they could be. No wonder Sesshomaru preferred sweats. They took the subway to a shopping district and came out into glaring sunshine. Inuyasha tried to get an idea of exactly where they were in relation to the same place in his era, but things had changed too much. Not only were there modern roads and buildings, but the very land itself was altered. The places that still retained pieces of the natural world were the many shrines that dotted the city. Those kinds of places weren't exactly youkai-friendly in the old days.

 

Kagome stopped at a large department store, riding the escalator up to the floor that specialized in baby things, and pulled him down the aisles after her. She held up item after item for his approval. Inwardly, Inuyasha was shocked that they made so much stuff just for babies.

 

She chose a few white cotton one-piece things, being careful to find ones that tied rather than zipped or snapped, and she showed him several pairs of little socks, although Inuyasha had his doubts that the wolf cub would be able to wear the socks without poking holes in them. Kagome laughed at that, telling him that no baby would tolerate socks for very long, but the mothers all liked them. She bought them anyway.

 

Next she dragged Inuyasha to a section that had books, and although the plastic coated ones looked nicest, she ignored those and chose some plain cloth books which had pictures of colors, shapes, and common objects. Inuyasha raised his eyebrows at one of the common objects—a car—but Kagome shrugged. She said the book itself would fall apart long before anybody recognized what the picture represented, so it was safe enough.

 

Finally, they stopped at a display of baby jewelry. Baby jewelry? Kagome picked out two small silver bracelets, solid with little silver balls on each open end. She had each of them engraved with the words `Friends Forever.'

 

“Come on,” she said, taking Inuyasha's arm and leading him back down the escalator. “We can pick these up later. Let's get something to eat.” They went down to the basement floor of the department store, where there was an entire supermarket as well as several small areas serving food. Now this was shopping! Inuyasha picked a stall that was selling noodles in soup—surprise.

 

During a lull in their eating, Inuyasha remembered he had something to ask Kagome. “Do you want to get married?”

 

She choked on her soda. “What?” She couldn't believe what she'd heard. She wondered if it was all the baby shopping that had made him propose so suddenly.

 

“If we got married, your mother would let us sleep in your room.”

 

That explained it. She should have known. “It's not that easy. There's a lot of planning, you can't get married just like that,” she snapped her fingers to emphasize her point, but the gesture was lost on Inuyasha. “Of course I want to marry you, but that's not the most important thing. We're already together. That's what's important. We can always get married after we are finished with school.”

 

“Sure, whatever,” agreed Inuyasha. They were going back before nightfall anyway, so he guessed it really didn't matter now.

 

Kagome looked at him with disappointed eyes. “Don't you want to marry me?”

 

“What? I just said I did, didn't I? You were the one who said we should wait.”

 

“Yes, but you didn't seem too broken up about it.” Kagome pouted, not sure if she should be flattered that he'd asked her, insulted at his reason for asking, or hurt at his casual acceptance of her reasons for not wanting to get married right away.

 

“That's `cause you said the most important thing was that we're together!” Inuyasha shouted, causing a few people at nearby tables to glance curiously in their direction.

 

“Fine! Let's not talk about it anymore. Let's go.” Kagome pushed her chair away from the table and stood. She gathered her shopping bags and stomped off towards the elevators.

 

“What?” called Inuyasha after her. He snapped his fingers. “Just like that?”

 

 

Before they went back through the well, Inuyasha made his phone call to Sesshomaru while Kagome was busy packing her yellow bag. “It's me. . .In Japan. . .no, we're still on vacation. . . Hey, I got something to ask you. . . when exactly did Kagome and I disappear back then? . . . What do you mean you don't know? . . . Well, can you narrow it down a little? . . . Fine, forget it, forget I asked. I'll call you when I get back. Oh, and Sesshomaru? You're a jerk on the other side, too.” Inuyasha clicked the phone shut and was about to hurl it across the room when he thought better of it. These modern devices weren't very well made. If he smashed it, it would stop working. He shoved it into the side pocket of his suitcase and went to find Kagome.

 

She hated being mad at Inuyasha. This was the first real fight they'd had since they had become a couple. Kagome shoved a few more packets of ramen into the corners of her backpack with a little more force than was strictly necessary. It was just that she'd been so happy when he asked her to marry him. Then to find out he wasn't really serious. . . well, it was partially her fault, too. She had told him no. He didn't have to take her at her word so quickly, though. The truth is, she would get married tomorrow if he really wanted to. All this baby stuff had her emotions in a turmoil. Was school really what she wanted? Was this time? The only thing she was sure she really wanted was Inuyasha.

 

Kagome slung her backpack over her shoulder and nearly collided with Inuyasha as he walked into the kitchen. He steadied her, his amber eyes warm with concern. Gently he took the backpack from her. “Are you ready?” he asked.

 

“Sure.” She smiled, and blinked away the tears that had started in the corners of her eyes. “I love you so much. I'm sorry.”

 

Inuyasha paused. “For what?” He reached up and wiped away a stray tear with the ball of his thumb. “Don't be silly.” His hand sought hers, and he drew her close to him as they made their way towards the well.

 

 

Kagome gave Sango the presents for her and Ayame's babies, except for the two silver bracelets. Those she gave to Miroku with instructions not to give them out until the babies were born. She wanted them to be a surprise. She made Miroku promise that they would take a trip to Kouga's settlement as soon as Sango was able to travel after her baby's birth.

 

Rin was still at Kaede's when they returned, although Sesshomaru was gone. Instead, Kohaku remained as the little girl's guard and protector. Kagome sat down next to the little girl and handed her a lollipop. “How are your lessons going?”

 

“All right, I guess. Grandma Kaede is teaching me how to make a barrier. See?” Rin squinted up at Kagome, who nodded. Rin concentrated, and eventually Kagome could see a faint blue oval surrounding the young girl.

 

“Good job!” said Kagome, patting Rin on the shoulder. “I wasn't able to do that until I was much much older than you. Did Grandma Kaede show you how to put your power into sacred arrows?”

 

Rin lowered her eyes and spoke in a soft voice. “Yes, but I don't like to do that. Sacred arrows are for hurting youkai like Lord Sesshomaru or Jaken.”

 

“Does Lord Sesshomaru know you don't want to make sacred arrows?” asked Kagome. “I'm sure he would tell you it's Ok to make them. He trusts you to know when to use them and he knows you would never hurt him with them. Not all youkai are like Lord Sesshomaru and Jaken, you know. Lord Sesshomaru would want you to be able to protect yourself.”

 

“You think so?” Rin's eyes were so clear, so full of innocence and trust. Kagome hoped she was telling the girl the truth.

 

Kohaku's voice floated out from a darkened corner of Kaede's house. Kagome hadn't even realized he was there. “You must learn all of it, Rin. That is what Lord Sesshomaru wishes. You must become strong, so that you can be a miko for youkai when you grow up.”

 

“There, see?” Kagome soothed. “I'll show you how to do it again. You know I would never hurt Inuyasha, or Shippo, or Kirara. But I need to be strong too so that I can help protect them if I have to.”

 

“Oh,” replied Rin. She had never thought of it like that. She wanted to be able to protect her friends too, and not just be a burden to them who needed their protection. She would learn everything that she could, then, and trust Lord Sesshomaru would not let her hurt him by accident. “Will you teach me then? Grandma Kaede says you are the strongest miko there is.”

 

Kagome blushed. She might be strong, but she had only just recently come into her true powers. She didn't have the benefit of a lifetime of training. But she could still help Rin before she had to leave. “Of course I will, as long as I'm here.” Maybe she could impart some of her own special knowledge of what would be needed to ensure the future for youkai to this little girl with the compassionate heart.

 

Later that evening, as they sat around the fire and Rin slept, worn out from her day's activities, Kagome shared her ideas with the others. “Rin has the potential to be a powerful miko. Why couldn't she be an itinerant miko, traveling from village to village, once she is older? That way, she can keep an eye on the human villages that are friendly to youkai, and visit the villages where hanyou have settled and help them if they have any problems. I'm sure Sesshomaru would help.” Kagome looked at Kohaku for confirmation, and Inuyasha backed her up by glaring at the boy. Kohaku shrugged. He'd ask. That was all he could do. Kagome continued speaking. “She could even go into the hidden youkai villages, too. Since she's a traveling miko, no one would question her long absences. I think it would work!”

 

Before Kohaku left to sleep in Sango's house, Inuyasha pulled him aside. “Don't let Sesshomaru forget about the hanyou villages. Tell him—tell him I said they are the bridge. He won't get what that means yet, but someday he'll understand. Got it?” He gave Kohaku a shake to get his point across, then let him go. The boy nodded, not at all intimidated by Inuyasha.

 

As they settled down to sleep, Kagome thought about her life in the feudal era. She could stay here, too, and help train Rin. She could act as a miko for both humans and youkai, if she didn't go back. Couldn't she? But what about Inuyasha's new lands? What about the youkai, or whatever they were, in America? They didn't have the benefit of this legacy they were leaving behind them here. All they had was Inuyasha in the future, to show them the way. And her, she supposed. Was this what was meant to be? She wished she knew for sure.

 

Wishes. She'd better be careful what she wished for. Her wishes were more powerful than most people's. A miko was supposed to be selfless and pure. She didn't feel particularly selfless, and purity, she realized, was of the soul, not the body. All she ever wanted was Inuyasha. Maybe it wasn't her decision to make, maybe it was Inuyasha's. She glanced over to where he lay beside her, relaxed and truly sleeping for once. Please let us make the right decision, she prayed.