InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Lost in the Past ❯ Chapter 18 ( Chapter 18 )

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi

 

 

Lost in the Past, Chapter 18

 

 

“They should have been back by now.” Shippo paced back and forth in the long living room and talked into the phone by his ear. “How is her mother taking it?” From the kitchen, Junko and Valynne both paused to hear the answer, which came through faint and tinny, but audible enough to youkai ears. Kagome's mother was a strong woman. She would wait at home to hear from her daughter.

 

Sesshomaru, on the other hand, was catching the first flight out of Japan.

 

“I don't know what he thinks he can do,” muttered Shippo as he closed the phone. They'd had all the windows opened for days now, but Shippo didn't feel comfortable moving out completely until Inuyasha was truly back. What could have happened? Inuyasha and Kagome had disappeared from the well in Japan several days ago. Surely they should have found the children and Tetsusaiga by this time. Why hadn't they returned?

 

 

 

Sango peeked in just before she left for the Naming Ceremony. Kagome's eyes widened. Sango had on her mother's bathrobe, dressed up with a colorful sash which she had wound around her waist in place of the narrow belt it came with. Kagome had to admit Sango looked fetching in the shimmery pearlescent robe.

 

“Mom, isn't that Gramma's---?” Kazuki began.

 

Kagome shushed him. “You look—very nice, Sango,” she said at last. She really did look nice. Kagome had brought the department store robe back from the States as a gift for her mother several years before. Her mother liked it because it was wash and wear.

 

“I wanted to wear something special for my nephews' Naming Ceremony,” Sango explained.

 

“But isn't that---?”

 

“Shh!” Kagome said again, turning to her son. “Why don't you go outside for a while?”

 

“Ok!” Kazuki was happy to oblige. He thought Auntie Sango looked nice in Gramma's robe, too. He hunted around with his nose and eyes until he found Hiroshi standing gloomily by his little sisters who were all dressed in their best clothes. They were waiting to go with their parents to the Naming Ceremony.

 

“I'm glad I don't have to go,” remarked Kazuki, as he waited beside the other children. He spied Uncle Shippo on his way over to join them so he faded into the background just like the other Uncle Shippo, the one who knew him in the future, had taught him. He wondered if he could get Daichi to play, but the young wolf was nowhere to be found. His whole group had left for the ceremony already.

 

It looked like Daddy was bored, too. He sat outside their little house with Mayumi on his lap while Mommy talked with Auntie Sango inside. “Did Mom kick you out, too?” he asked.

 

“What? No! Your sister wanted to go outside,” Inuyasha said, pulling Mayumi back down when she tried to scramble off his lap and go back inside the hut.

 

Sango came back out, grinning. She winked at Inuyasha. “Congratulations,” she whispered, before hurrying off to join her waiting family.

 

“Keh,” Inuyasha replied, rising fluidly to his feet with Mayumi propped on one shoulder. “Let's go inside and eat.” Kazuki followed them inside the hut.

 

 

It was quiet in the village with Miroku, Sango and their children, not to mention their youkai guests, all gone to the Naming Ceremony at Midoriko's cave.

 

“We should probably go home,” Kagome said with a sigh. “When they come back, it will be time for the feast, and we can't go to that, either.”

 

Inuyasha keh'd. “You think my brother's going to go to some human feast? I doubt if he or even Kouga and his group will stick around after the ceremony. We'll be fine.”

 

“There's still Shippo.”

 

“Keh, Shippo.” Inuyasha dismissed Kagome's concern with a wave of his hands. “He won't even know we're there.”

 

“Wait, do you intend to go to the party?” asked Kagome. Kazuki listened hopefully. He, for one, would like to go to the party.

 

“Why not? I figure we should at least stick around to find out what Kohaku and Rin named their kids.”

 

Kagome was curious about that, too. She knew now that her family was directly descended from Rin and Kohaku, so she supposed she had a personal interest. “All right, if you're sure. But then we need to go home before people start to get worried about us.”

 

“Who would worry?” Inuyasha scoffed at the idea.

 

“My mother,” Kagome replied.

 

“Besides her,” Inuyasha said. “We'll be back tonight, ok?”

 

“Fine.” Kagome smiled, and squeezed Inuyasha's hand. He stuck his conical hat over his ears, tucked his hair underneath, and helped her carry two baskets over to the village center. One of the women took the baskets and placed them with the other food for the feast. She smiled at Inuyasha, knowing full well that he was youkai. The village was in on their secret—oh, not the big secret that they came from the future, nor even the other secret, that they were Inuyasha and Kagome, the hanyou and miko who had defeated Naraku, but just that they were friends of Miroku and Sango and that it was important that the other youkai did not realize they were here. They didn't need to know any more than that; they were slayers, and they were aware that not all youkai, nor all humans for that matter, were as accepting of mixed marriages between youkai and human as their particular village was, for all that it welcomed both youkai and humans as friends.

 

 

 

Sesshomaru glanced curiously around Midoriko's cave. The stone image of the ancient miko still stood within its depths, surrounded by images of what once might have been youkai, but there was an aura of peace surrounding the scene that sank into his bones. Whatever remained of the ages old conflict was now merely a reflection of the polarity of nature, with mankind being as much a part of that nature as youkai. Again, he felt a sense of rightness that he should be here, as the one who would give Names to these human children of his heart.

 

He took first one child, then the other, from Rin and Kohaku, and presented the children to not only their ancestor, Midoriko, but also to the youkai she had battled. These children would be among the first generation to honor both. He briefly thought of Inuyasha, who was both. The world was changing. It was a shame Inuyasha was no longer here to witness it.

 

“Masaki,” he named the eldest, relinquishing his hold on the child so that he could inscribe the name three times. His writing was elegant and precise. “Eiji,” he named the second, repeating the steps to mark his name in the records. “Let it be as I have written.”

 

The parents seemed pleased with his choices, and that he had announced the names aloud. “Eiji,” repeated Rin, jiggling her second son up and down. She glanced over at the baby in Kohaku's arms. “And Masaki. Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru, for choosing such wise names for our children.”

 

Sesshomaru inclined his head briefly, then turned and walked out of the cave. Rin could have sworn she heard a faint `keh' from the taiyoukai, but that was impossible, wasn't it?

 

 

Inuyasha was wrong. Although Sesshomaru took his leave, having no interest in attending the party for the babies, Kouga and his clan did not. Kazuki and Mayumi were happily running around with the younger village children, being scolded by Kagome whenever they tried to snatch an early treat, when the wolves returned. Inuyasha had a few seconds warning when he caught their scent. He jumped up and grabbed first Mayumi as she ran by, then Kazuki, who by this time had also smelled the approaching wolves. “Stay by me,” Inuyasha ordered, scanning the village center for Kagome.

 

She wasn't far away, currently in the middle of a group of village women talking about who knew what—probably babies. Good, that gave her some protection at least. Of them all, she was the one most likely to be recognized, as she had always been human and still looked the same. “Kagome!” Inuyasha called her name softly. She looked up at the sound, then heard the larger commotion by the village gates and saw Kouga escorting his very pregnant wife into the village. She started to move away from the group to go to Inuyasha, but he motioned her to stay where she was. He would go to her.

 

Inuyasha picked up Mayumi and started edging towards the village center, with Kazuki trailing behind him. A few of the villagers noticed what he was doing, and surrounded him, effectively blocking him from Kouga's view, but not his scent.

 

“What's that smell?” asked Kouga, raising his head. His eyes pierced through the crowd until he spotted an old man carrying a child. He wrinkled his nose, trying to sift through the scents. The most obvious one was food. The old man smelled like he'd been steeping in soy sauce. So did the little girl, so did the—slayer boy?—behind him. What did they do? Fall into a pot of marinade? Kouga sniffed again. There was another scent underlying the food smell. If he didn't know better, he'd say there was a youkai aura about the three humans.

 

Just then, Kohaku and Rin arrived with the babies, and people swelled and eddied around them, momentarily dragging Kouga's attention away from the three strange-smelling humans. Behind them Miroku and Sango quickly took in the situation and hurried over to Kouga. Miroku strode right by the startled youkai and confronted the old man. “Grandfather,” he chided gently, “how many times have I told you not to carry youkai weapons around the village, especially with children nearby? Our youkai guests can sense thing like that, you know.”

 

Miroku had his back towards Kouga, and his face was saying something entirely different from his mouth. Inuyasha had to bite his tongue to keep from grinning at Miroku's expression. “Sorry, young Miroku,” he ground out in a deliberately gravelly voice. “I was just showing the youngster here how we craft youkai weapons. I'll put it back.” He backed away, still holding Mayumi, and moved closer to Kagome. Thankfully, she also smelled like the bean paste they'd rubbed on themselves to disguise their scents. As long as Kouga didn't get a good look at her, they should be safe.

 

“Sorry about that,” Inuyasha heard Miroku say to Kouga. “You know how old people get. Always think they know better than the rest of us.” He shook his head sadly. “Taking pieces of our youkai weapons out of their warded storage room. Honestly.”

 

Kouga blinked, confused at the turn of events. The old man was halfway across the village by now, most likely to put the youkai bones or whatever he had taken back in its storeroom, as Miroku had said. Oh well, time to party. He went off in search of some meat for himself and Ayame, hopefully some that was roasted plain, and not drenched in that soy sauce. He had taken a sudden dislike to the smell.

 

 

By the time Inuyasha and Kagome had made it back to their little hut at the far end of the village, he had had enough of the feudal era. It was time to go home. He straightened up as he entered the hut, throwing off his hat and letting Tetsusaiga become visible again by his side. No wonder Kouga had sensed something was off.

 

“Kazuki, get your sword. Kagome, let's go,” he said, unsheathing Tetsusaiga.

 

“Wait!” The cry came from outside. A moment later, Sango and Miroku pushed open the door and slipped inside.

 

“I thought you'd like to say hello to your ancestor,” said Sango, handing Kagome one of Rin's babies. Miroku held the other one, as he introduced them.

 

“This one here is Masaki,” said Miroku. “And you're holding Eiji, who, if I remember correctly from what you both have told me, is one of Kagome's ancestors, and the one who restores the well, is he not?”

 

Kagome's face lit up and she hugged the tiny child close to her. “Yes, yes. Eiji. I can't believe I'm holding my own ancestor! Look, kids! Great great great Grandpa Eiji.”

 

“Well, you'd better give him back before his parents come looking for him,” remarked Inuyasha, picking up their scent. He turned to Miroku. “You've got the plans I left you, right?”

 

Miroku nodded. “You are coming back then?”

 

Inuyasha keh'd. “Of course.”

 

Kagome gave Sango back the baby, hugged her, and picked up her own baby girl. “Oof, you weigh a ton compared to Grandpa Eiji,” she teased. “Sango, how will I ever thank you for toilet training her?”

 

“Just do what I told you with this next one and you won't have any trouble.”

 

Kagome smiled, and took hold of Inuyasha's free arm. Kazuki stood between them. “Home, James,” she said.

 

“James?” asked Inuyasha, as Tetsusaiga transformed and cast a blue glow that could be seen through the windows of the small hut. In an instant, they were gone. Sango sighed, and slid back the door to reveal a startled Kohaku just about to enter.

 

“What was that?” he asked, glancing with concern at his two sons in Sango's arms.

 

“What was what?” she asked innocently, handing him one of the babies. “Let's go eat.”