InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Midwinter Dream ❯ The Weight of Time ( Chapter 3 )

A/N: Alright, chapter three! ... Hehe, I love the sound of that. It's much better than twenty four. :D

 

P.S. If I had it my way (right now it's going the story's way, don't ask me how) Kagome and Sesshomaru would be together by now and how that happened would be a summary. But, there needs to be a little bit of background work beforehand, or else this story would simply fall apart. Again, don't ask me why, it just will. Trust me though, when they see one another again, this story is going to get goooooooooooooooood. :D And tasty, but I'll leave that judgment up to you. ;) And I am not telling people which chapter they're going to meet one another in, because to stop here and then skip ahead when it's uploaded would mean to throw the plot and understanding of the story into complete distraught. I know some people would do that too. Maybe not you, but some. So... There. :P The best I can offer as an answer is 'soon'.

 

P.P.S. For those of you reading this story via MediaMiner.org, these author notes are mostly in response to reviews from fanfiction.net

 

Chapter 3

 

The Weight of Time

 

Kagome was glad to be off her feet, but to have her legs wrapped around Inuyasha's hips as he gave her a ride was different. And being different meant it was odd too, so she found herself talking.

 

“Why didn't you sense Sesshomaru?”

 

“What?” he asked. He heard her, especially with those ears. “... He might have been cloaking himself. The wind wasn't in my favor either, but in his. I guess he came to see who the new miko was.”

 

Kagome's grip tightened on Inuyasha's shoulders, but he didn't seem to notice. That stupid demon, and her stupid brain thinking of stupid things... Another way of putting that last sentence was 'he came looking for you'.

 

“Hey! ... You alright?” he asked when Kagome allowed herself to hit her forehead against the back of his impenetrable skull. It hurt her more than he even noticed it.

 

“Just feeling stupid,” she replied. His hair was soft and warm against her cold face, but a lot thicker than someone else's. She hit her head again to try and get the thought out.

 

“Hey! Stop that!” her ride yelled.

 

“I'll say the word,” she warned. Gosh, after so long and she was already threatening 'sit's.

 

She didn't know it was possible to trip in midair... When he caught himself and she registered that they weren't falling she began laughing at him. “I SHOULD say it!! It's been years!!”

 

“Don't.”

 

“Please?”

 

“No.”

 

“Fine,” she scoffed. “I'll just wait until we get there. Then I won't be sat too.”

 

He laughed, and they had a few minutes of decent conversation while she hid her face from the snow in his hair. Not only could he still hear her, but it kept her nose from falling off. It was like driving through a blizzard with your head out the window.

 

A hundred feet from the village, Inuyasha stopped leaping and just walked.

 

“... You can let me down.”

 

“I know.”

 

She lifted her face up. “... This is for the threat, isn't it?”

 

“Yep.”

 

She smiled. “Okay, I won't say it if you let me down.”

 

“Keh!” he scoffed, which brought back so many memories; good and bad. “Like I'd trust you! You may have aged a whole lot, but you're still-”

 

“SIT BOY!!”

 

After a 'manly' cry, Kagome caught herself and now stood over his fallen form. Despite her previous position, she did not have broken bones from sitting him like that and marched onward. Aged a whole lot, eh?? Jerk. Dumb dogs...

 

“Immature,” Inuyasha finished, most likely contemplating the snow that was just turned to ice against his front from the pressure of the command. Kagome assumed he lifted his head, because his voice was louder. “Hey! Get back here!”

 

“I'll say it again!” she threatened. Who's immature? Not her. ... Okay, maybe a little. Oye.

 

“Kagome-chan!!”

 

Kagome's head shot up in shock, remembering she was indeed walking for long-missed friends.

 

“EEEE!!” Kagome squealed, booking it over to Sango as they ran for one another. They collided, in a good 'I've missed you so much!' way, then ended the embrace so they could both begin talking eagerly at the same time.

 

They ended up laughing. “It's been years!!”

 

“That it has!” Sango agreed. Amazingly, she didn't look too different. Probably because she had gone through most of her puberty while fighting Naraku. Now her curves were just bigger. Slightly, but they were.

 

“Wow, we have so much catching up to do!” Kagome stated. She saw two little girls running for them, and they looked too much like their parents to mistake their relationship. “Starting with them!”

 

Sango looked. “Oh! Ki, Sada! Remember the miko in daddy's stories?”

 

Kagome was simply blown away. They told stories about her? ... The good ones? Whatever, they were so freakin cute! They had their mother's face, and Miroku's deep blue eyes.

 

“Kagome,” Sango continued, “this is Kiyoshi, and Sada.”

 

“Kagome-sama!” the girls giggled. They weren't shy at all, and the one in the dark red winter kimono with yellow fans, Ki, reached up to her to be held.

 

Sada stayed by her mom though. “Mommy, when's daddy coming home?”

 

Oh, cute... Mommy? Daddy? Which word did they learn first?? Kagome smiled at the sight, despite how Ki was yanking at some sap.

 

“By evening,” Sango informed. “Ki, don't hurt Kagome.”

 

“You have blue eyes!” Ki announced, looking at Kagome.

 

“You do too!” she found herself replying. Hers must have been the only set outside of their family to be seen. Oh, for children, these two were sweethearts!!

 

“Girls, is Hiroko okay?”

 

“Oopsie!” Ki exclaimed innocently enough, covering her mouth with tiny fingers.

 

“Uncle Kohaku's with him, mommy!” Sada covered. “He's not alone!”

 

“That's good,” Sango replied, smirking. She looked past Kagome then, and watched as Inuyasha continued to pry ice chips off. She probably hadn't seen him before with him laying flat in the snow. “Oh, so that's what the boom was. I thought we were under attack again.”

 

“Someone was attacked,” Inuyasha scoffed.

 

“Again?” Kagome asked.

 

Sango decided to share the finer points of that over herbal tea, Hiroko bouncing on her knee while the twins played with Rin and Kohaku outside in the snow. Kagome was surprised that Rin had moved to the village. Did Sesshomaru visit often? Was that why Inuyasha didn't chase after him earlier? ... Oddly enough, it sounded about right.

 

“Wolves have been trying to get into the village for food,” Sango explained. “And not just the animals, but demons too.”

 

“Why can't they just hunt?” Kagome asked, a tad humored by the thought of Ginta and Hakkaku trying to scale that spike-timber wall of the village. Those two were so sweet, they didn't deserve their clumsiness.

 

Sango and Inuyasha were silent, eyes revealing their weighing of time.

 

“There was an invasion here,” Inuyasha explained, his tone not hiding how old this story was. “And I don't just mean this area. I don't know what happened, but Sesshomaru disappeared during that battle over four years ago, when you vanished into your time; or so we had hoped. The well was knocked over by that dragon's foot, and later he took it into the East.”

 

“The dragon was named Bashamon,” Sango supplied.

 

“That one,” Inuyasha confirmed, pointing a finger at her in reference.

 

“Bashamon?” Kagome asked. She remembered a dragon, but it had remained nameless. “Who's he? Is he important?”

 

They shared that look again. Kagome got a feeling that she and Sesshomaru didn't talk too much...

 

“Bashamon was the Lord of the East,” Inuyasha explained. “When Sesshomaru disappeared, his lands were up for the taking, so to speak. I know there are soldiers still hidden in places, but they don't really mobilize without a plan of action or direction. They're trained like the dogs they are.”

 

Funny. Their leader needed the training. If she didn't die the first day, Kagome may be able to have fun at attempting that.

 

“Anyway, to sum it up, a bunch of scaly demons came in and began to eat any meat here they could find. It was late summer by then, so they got a lot of the new generation while they were young. Basically, they left our food supplies low, which meant the wolf tribes had barely any prey in their territories by the time more came from the north. The annoying thing is we still have lizards running around these parts, but every winter their numbers go down.”

 

“... So, why are the wolves attacking here?” Kagome asked, a little confused. “And how could the invasion devastate food sources so quickly? Sesshomaru was only gone a month, didn't he reclaim his lands immediately?”

 

Inuyasha gave her a certain look, which blatantly asked 'how did you know that?'

 

“Kagome,” Sango began, “the thing with lizards is that they're dumb. The more they eat immediately, the less they have to worry about food in the future. It's that simple. One soldier could probably consume five fully grown boars in a day, do that for a week, then not have to eat again for six years.”

 

... Wow... “So, it was first come, first serve?”

 

Sango nodded. “Basically. The sad thing is that they came by the thousands.”

 

Oh... Well, that explained it. The image of six wolves chasing a single rabbit made more sense now... the poor things. “Why are they attacking the village then?”

 

“Because of the demons we slay,” Sango replied. Inuyasha laid back and relaxed to let her have the stage. “In the winter, we have a greater tendency to bring a wagon with us on a mission. Usually, it's to bring back bones, shells, furs, tusks, anything that can be turned into a weapon, armor, or that can be useful, but we've been brining meat and fat home too because of the shortage.”

 

... That's right, people needed animal fat in the past to condition clothing and make candles and such. Oh, the luxuries of the future... ... Centipede jerky... Sounded worse than asparagus

 

“The wolves can smell the meat and the cooking of parts as their refined daily, so they know there's meat here. They have nothing to give to us in trade though, so we've been taking only one wagon for our village and leaving the rest of the carcass to them. That's, however, not enough for how many they have to feed.”

 

“Why don't they just go home then?” Kagome asked. “You know, to the north.”

 

“Keh!” Inuyasha pipped up. “Like they'd do that. They won rights to be here, they're not going to let a little lack of meat stop them from taking what they deserve.”

 

Kagome gave Sango a questioning look.

 

“They helped in the war,” Sango explained.

 

Hiroko let out a gurgling wail then, and Inuyasha got up and left right on queue.

 

“Besides, they're not welcome back,” the hanyou stated before leaving.

 

The door slid shut, and Kagome could only give Sango a hopelessly confused look, baby screams reverberating off the walls as Sango tried to calm him.

 

She smiled patiently. “In order to switch packs, territories and pack associations are broken,” she explained, “meaning that they have no where to call home once they move. It's a way to keep them in the colonization packs.”

 

“Oh,” Kagome toned. She looked away when Sango pulled her kimono back to let Hiroko nurse. “Um, how old are your kids?”

 

“Hm...” Sango hummed fondly, not noticing how awkward Kagome felt all of a sudden. Being discreet was another thing about the future... “Hiroko here isn't a year yet, a few months shy. Ki and Sada are two and a half.”

 

“When will they begin training?” Kagome asked then, glancing up when Sango lifted a blanked over Hiroko to keep him warmer. For some reason, Kagome felt she wouldn't have minded seeing that mother and son connection four years ago.

 

“When they are five,” Sango replied. The thought of little children warriors was upgraded slightly in Kagome's mind. Five was a good age, if it was wooden weapons. Probably the village custom.

 

“Do you and Miroku slay demons still?”

 

Sango smiled. “It's so hard to believe you've been gone for so long...”

 

Oh, she knew that. Everything was different, and Kagome felt that no matter how much catching up they did the gap of time was too great to make a full recovery straight away. That was okay though, she could wait.

 

“I can't leave here while pregnant or nursing,” Sango explained. “It's too much of a risk. I was able to though for a year and leave the girls with some close friends, but that didn't last long...”

 

No, she supposed it didn't with Miroku as a husband... She was humored by the memory of his first time proposing to Sango, which was immediately followed by inquiry of how many children she'd bear him. Did she remember correctly that he asked if she'd have twenty? Hopefully, it was smaller now, or else they'd be having one of the largest families in Japan for how young they still were.

 

Kagome giggled. It was hard getting use to the thought of them as a couple, no matter how much she had thought about it in the past. She actually felt excluded from their lives, which was dead accurate. She was so ignorant of everyone, and had only known them for the warmer part of a year before leaving so suddenly. It was like seeing your best friend from middle school whom you've fallen out of contact with in your senior year...

 

Kagome swallowed. She wasn't going to think like that. This was a happy time.

 

The evening was very gradual in its coming, and by the time it did a certain monk discovered Kagome telling his girls, brother-in-law, and Rin the story of Little Red Riding hood. The real version. The twins screamed when their daddy came hulking in from a long day right as Kagome began explaining how the ax man made his entrance.

 

Kagome smiled at Miroku, who just stood there and blinked at her a few times.

 

“... Kagome?”

 

“Oh good! You remembered!” Kagome giggled, standing and giving him a quick bear hug.

 

“My, you've grown!” Miroku stated, putting his hand on the top of her head. “How many inches?”

 

“Three,” Kagome stated. It was a guess, but considering the angle she looked up at him it sounded right. It was funny how everyone knew things such as measurements and weights, though in different increments than she was use to, but start talking about schools and they'll look at you wondering what herbs your village elder has you on. “... You haven't changed too much.”

 

He laughed. “Raising kids, I'm surprised I don't have wrinkles!”

 

“Oh, you love it,” Sango stated, coming back from the village blacksmith with Hiroko strapped to her back.

 

“Hello, my beautiful wife!” Miroku greeted her, suddenly all sunlight and daisies again. Kagome went wide-eyed at the intimate kiss he easily coaxed his wife into.

 

“Eeeeww...” Ki and Sada said at the same time, which made a few people laugh. Even Inuyasha found it funny.

 

Then Kagome heard a noise that made her spirits soar.

 

“Meeew!”

 

“Kirara!” she cried, hurrying over and scooping up the kitten demon. The cat's eyes went wider than normal, if that was fathomable, and she sniffed Kagome curiously. “... Oh, don't pretend you don't remember me.”

 

Kirara began to purr then, and mewled in response.

 

“I'm glad you're back, Kirara!” Sango stated as Miroku helped with Hiroko. “Would you mind taking Kagome and I some place?”

 

The black stripped twin tails wagged in response.

 

“Where are we going?” Kagome found herself asking, seeing Miroku wave goodbye with his son on his side and the girls holding his priest garb. It was really strange that everyone still wore the same clothes...

 

“You'll see!” Sango replied, sounding quite happy. “It's actually a surprise. I think you'll like it! We can't be gone too long though, Hiroko loves to eat and Inuyasha can't stand his crying.”

 

“Sounds about right,” Kagome replied, mounting Kirara behind Sango and hugging the older woman's waist securely.

 

They arrived at a hut placed over a stream. But it wasn't just any stream.

 

“Oh!!” Kagome exclaimed upon seeing it. “Oh! OH OH OH!!”

 

Sango laughed. “Go ahead and check it out! I just have to make a place for Kirara.”

 

Said 'hut' was bigger than it looked, and it was placed over a hot spring pool. Fantastic!!

 

“Why is Kirara outside?” Kagome asked as Sango got in slowly, the misty vapor ceasing its swirling from when the door was opened again. Kagome noted that her friend still had the scar that marked her near-death experience oh so long ago.

 

“Her fur can't stay dry in here,” Sango answered, sighing as she sank onto a rock ledge ever so slowly. “She'd get sick if she flew with damp fur. She's in a little shelter taking a nap though, she enjoys it. She also keeps peepers away.”

 

Kagome giggled. “He still hasn't changed?”

 

“It's like his favorite game,” Sango replied, knowing Kagome was making reference to Miroku. “Ironically though, he was the one to have this place built. It helped to have a roof overhead while I visited here. Having twins in your first pregnancy is a tad rough.”

 

“I can only imagine,” Kagome replied.

 

“Hm. ... Have you found someone yet?”

 

“What?” she asked, pausing in rubbing the soothingly sulfuric water over her arm. “No. Why?”

 

“You're not still pent up over Inuyasha, are you?” Sango asked. Gee, this used to be a touch subject...

 

“No,” Kagome supplied, dunking her head momentarily. She knew that, in the long run, that was a dumb move, but she just wanted that sap to come OUT! Besides, being under water gave her time to think... She wasn't in love with anyone. She didn't want to be, so therefor she wasn't. She was certainly irked by Sesshomaru though, and she was going to straighten him out one way or another.

 

She surfaced with a smile. “I'm not ready to have a boyfriend yet. That's all.”

 

Sango seemed intrigued. “Do women in your time start late?”

 

... Start late... Kagome was, gently put, getting older. Oye... If only she could freeze time, then she'd actually have a minute to think. Then again, thinking took time, so that was the crux of her problem.

 

“It's not that,” she replied. “I just can't find the right guy.”

 

Sango nodded, rubbing gathered dirt and sweat from her body in a massage-like motion. The spring really was quite lovely.

 

“How did you know about Sesshomaru?” Sango then inquired nonchalantly.

 

Kagome about slipped off her underwater seat, and while she struggled for a fib Sango struck the truth.

 

“He went to the future, didn't he?”

 

Kagome sighed, and felt embarrassed. This was Sango, she didn't need to hide anything, least of all lie. And so it was Kagome's turn to tell of what had happened in the last four years, the most details being in the beginning.

 

“He smiled??” Sango asked.

 

“Yeah, can you believe it?” Kagome yelled, really into the conversation now that they were over ten minutes into it. “Oh my gosh, you should have seen it, it's the most scary and mesmerizing expression ever!”

 

Sango was smirking, but despite that Kagome continued. She didn't run out of topics or memories, and every one of them struck a strong emotion in her. Half an hour later, she realized what she had been doing for nearly an hour, and felt bad that Kirara was stuck outside the whole time.

 

“It sounds like the two of you had fun,” Sango commented.

 

Kagome rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but he's such a pain. You know how that can be.”

 

“I do,” Sango agreed, now trying to bury her smile. “And I married him.”

 

...

 

...

 

There was nothing to say to that, except for the lamest comment of the century.

 

“It's not like I like him or anything.”

 

Sango laughed at her, but in a kind and understanding manner. “So, you hate him, but talk about him for an hour and act like your cheery old self when you do so.”

 

...

 

“It really is good to see a real smile on your face again,” Sango followed up. “And no need to blush around me.”

 

“I'm not blushing,” Kagome lied. “I'm just hot. That's all.”

 

Sango was, least be said, humored by this. “You know,” she sighed, leaning back against the rocks, “despite his cold exterior, he's a pretty nice guy.” When Kagome failed to come up with a retort the slayer continued. “Rin is like a daughter to him. In the four years she's been with us he has only missed his monthly visit once.”

 

“Really?” Kagome asked. Her voice was a tad monotoned because of the thoughts racing through it,but she still felt warmed that he came to saw Rin, even after four years. “When was that?”

 

“Yesterday,” Sango informed.

 

Something flashed into ice in Kagome, and it made her shoulder blades tighten to the point of shivering. Was it because of... that?

 

“Are you alright?” Sango inquired.

 

“I'm fine.”

 

“No you're not.” Kagome looked at her. “We haven't been separated so long that you need to keep secrets from me, Kagome-chan.”

 

And thusly, the verbal dam was broken. Kagome told Sango everything she hadn't before. Every single little detail she could remember, every emotion associated with it, every thought to cross her mind, and for some reason it made Kagome wipe tears from her immensely watery eyes. Why?? She had never cried over this, because really it wasn't sad. If anything, her anger with Sesshomaru should have been rejuvinated. But, this week had been rather overwhelming already, so Kagome blamed her lack of control over that as Sango made soothing noises and prompted her to continue.

 

“You believe he saw you two?” Sango asked when Kagome neared the end of her tail.

 

“Yeah,” she replied, giving a small hiccup and cursing herself. She felt so weak, so much like she had so long ago. She wanted to be stronger than this. She was stronger than this. “I'm sorry, Sango. I'm not meaning t-to cry.”

 

Sango smiled. “I was expecting nothing else.”

 

Kagome turned her most likely red eyes at her again, trying to sniffle but finding her nose rather clogged. Great... She hated crying. “Hah! You know, I've never sobbed like this over him...”

 

“Really?” Sango encouraged.

 

“Yeah,” Kagome replied, feeling like she should explain. So she did, and it was the first time their conversation strayed to Kagome's time alone in the future. “I've spent so many years training myself. You know, I'm now considered a master of the bow in my time, and I've been training with a sword... I've been honing my body and my mind for so long, and as a result I'm really healthy and prepared for anything any demon can throw at me, but...”

 

She fell silent. She didn't know where to go from there.

 

Sango breathed out, carrying a great weight with that breath. “Kagome. I hope you understand that no one can train their heart.”

 

... The water looked ready to receive Kagome if she chose to submerge her head and try breathing water. Oh, kami, how did they start talking about this?? It was so mortifying, and her eyes were already drowning because of it!

 

Kagome watched as a pair of hands reached out under the rippling surface to clasp her own, and she refused to meet Sango's eyes. Was she really so weak? After so long, and over such a short time period... One month did not have the leeway of four years. It just couldn't. It was just too unfair! What did she do to deserve this?

 

“Hm,” Sango giggled once. “You know, if you can be brave enough to face any pain, no matter how scared you are of being hurt, then he won't hurt you.”

 

“... What?” Kagome asked, exposing her tear-filled expression. Darn those tears... Why couldn't she just bottle it up again and go back to hating him?? It was so much easier that way! Why was she allowed to feel this way over someone she could never, ever, even possibly love? Or rather, someone who couldn't love her... Maybe her body, as she already experience, but not her.

 

Sango offered her comfort, but Kagome knew that that was pretty much all she could give save for the best advice one could receive at that time.

 

“I think you need to go talk to him.”

 

A/N: Honestly, I was NOT expecting to update so soon! X( It's a bad sign that someone has as much time as I do on their hands... LOL.

 

Anyway, sorry for any grammatical errors (I'm pretty good and making those without noticing). I hope everyone enjoyed this, and that it was the lift a few people needed. :D

 

As always, thanks for reading, and please review to help me make this story better!