InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Present Perfect ❯ Chapter 23 ( Chapter 23 )

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi

 

 

Chapter 23:

 

 

Kagome woke feeling refreshed and energized. Maybe a good night's sleep was all she had needed after all. She glanced around the room. Inuyasha must have gotten up already and let her sleep in. She vaguely remembered him coming home last night, but not much else. She must have been really tired.

 

Stretching, she got up and went to take a quick shower before going downstairs to breakfast. To her surprise, Shippo was there, chatting with her mother and grandfather. Souta had already left for school.

 

“Where's Inuyasha?” she asked curiously, as she sat down. It wasn't like him to miss breakfast.

 

Shippo looked up warily. “Inuyasha?” he repeated. “Uh, I—have some breakfast first, Kagome,” he said.

 

Kagome's mother and grandfather were unusually quiet. Her mother rushed to fill a plate and put it in front of Kagome, who began to get a sinking feeling in her stomach. She pushed the food away. “Where's Inuyasha?” she repeated.

 

“Kagome,” said Shippo. His voice nearly broke on the last syllable.

 

“No.” Kagome stood, as she realized what Inuyasha had done. “No.” She ran to the door, not bothering with shoes.

 

Strong arms grabbed her from behind. “Kagome, don't,” said Shippo. “He doesn't want you to follow him.”

 

Kagome twisted out of Shippo's grasp and tried to make a run for the well house. She was going anyway, whether Inuyasha wanted her to or not. Shippo grabbed her again, gently but firmly. When had he become so strong? “No!” Kagome shouted, as she pushed Shippo away. In her agitation, her miko power surged from her hands into Shippo's chest. He was thrust backwards, and sat stunned on the ground, blinking up at her with his big green eyes, the same green eyes as when he was a child, eyes that were now filled with pain and confusion.

 

Kagome fell to her knees, appalled at what she had done to Shippo. She hadn't meant to hurt him. “Shippo, I'm sorry,” she said. “Please let me go. I have to do this.”

 

Shippo slowly got back to his feet and put his arms around Kagome where she still knelt on the ground. “Will you listen to me first? He knew you would try to follow, and he told me to tell you why you can't go. So will you listen?”

 

Kagome didn't want to hear any excuses. Every moment she hesitated, Inuyasha was moving farther away from her. She had to go now. But she would give Shippo the time it took her to get to the well to tell his story. She nodded, and scrambled up, still in her socks. She supposed she should get shoes first anyway. She headed back towards the house, where her mother and grandfather waited anxiously. “It's all right,” she told them. She sat on the riser and began to pull on her shoes. “Start talking,” she said to Shippo, her tone a little sharper than usual.

 

“I was there,” Shippo began, repeating basically the same story he had told Inuyasha earlier. “I saw Inuyasha come through the well, and I went with him to Sango and Miroku's village. You didn't come back with us. Kagome, Inuyasha wanted me to make sure I told you how things had changed back then. It wasn't safe for humans to travel anywhere alone. That was why he decided to go back, to make it safer for all of us. He's really scared, Kagome, that if you follow him, you'll be killed.”

 

“Then he should have let me come with him,” Kagome said. She stood. “Mama, Grandpa, I'm going for a little walk with Shippo. I'm Ok now.” She didn't want her family to follow them.

 

“Kagome,” said Shippo, “that would have changed history. Inuyasha couldn't take that chance, you know that.”

 

Kagome wasn't so sure. Nobody saw her come back with Inuyasha. It didn't mean she didn't go back on her own. Her miko powers were stronger now than ever. She could take care of herself. Sometimes you had to make your own history, if you wanted things to come out right. Slowly she guided their footsteps towards the well house. She glanced back towards her house, and saw to her relief that her mother had gone back inside, and Grandpa was nowhere in sight. She didn't want to worry them any more than she had already; let Shippo explain after she went through the well. He seemed to be good at that.

 

“I'm sorry, Shippo,” she murmured again, just before she reached out with her power and zapped his youkai strength, just a little, just enough to let her get a head start towards the well.

 

Shippo crumpled, his eyes showing his utter shock at Kagome's actions. She sprinted across the last few yards towards the well house and slipped inside. With a tremendous effort, Shippo shook off his lethargy and staggered after her. He caught her just as she had her foot up on the lip of the well. Luckily it hadn't occurred to her to put a barrier around the building. Shippo didn't think he would have been able to break through that in his weakened state. As it was, he had no choice but to play his trump card now. Inuyasha had asked him not to use it except as a last resort.

 

“Kagome, you can't go! You're pregnant!” Shippo blurted out from the top of the stairs.

 

Kagome froze. Slowly she lowered her foot until she stood firmly on the ground again. Shippo breathed a sigh of relief. He made his way down to her, still weak from her purifying blast. He had to get her away from the edge. Inuyasha had said even that news might not stop her.

 

“It's not only you and Inuyasha you have to think about now,” he said softly, almost afraid to say too much. “Think about your baby.”

 

“Pregnant?” It explained so much. In many ways, it was what Kagome had hoped for all along. She had wanted a piece of Inuyasha to remain with her in case the worst happened. Had she somehow known it would end like this? “How can I be pregnant? There hasn't been enough time. . . .” Except there had. Technically, she had stopped taking birth control pills for a couple of months now. Everyone said it took time for the body to get back on track, and she hadn't really been paying much attention to her cycles lately, with all that had been happening. So she very well could be pregnant. Couldn't she? “Does Inuyasha know?” she asked, realizing belatedly that if Shippo knew, then Inuyasha and likely every other youkai that they'd come into contact with had known also.

 

Shippo nodded his head. “He knows. He didn't want you to get upset for the baby's sake. That's why he didn't tell you. I wasn't supposed to tell you either, unless I had no other choice. He figured he would be back before you even found out.”

 

Kagome stamped her foot. She was starting to get angry, and anger always made her sadness and her fear recede into the background. “That idiot!” she fumed. “Why would he think I'd get upset? I'm not upset!”

 

Shippo smiled at her indignation. The crisis seemed to be over. He didn't think she'd try to jump through the well, anyway. “I don't think he meant about the baby. I think he meant about his going through the well without you. At least now you know why he did it without telling you first.”

 

Kagome briefly considered going through the well anyway. What was Inuyasha thinking? That she'd let any harm come to their baby? Their baby. She put her hand on her flat stomach. And he knew. She closed her eyes. If anything would bring Inuyasha back to her, it would be this. Shippo was right; if it was just her, she would risk it, but how could she risk Inuyasha's child? She would just have to trust in him to come back to her.

 

“Does my mother know?” she asked.

 

“No, she doesn't. It isn't apparent to humans this early.”

 

“Good. I don't want to say anything just yet,” said Kagome. She smiled a little unsteadily at Shippo. “You can relax. I'm not going.” She brushed by him and started up the steps. At the top, she turned back. Shippo was still standing next to the well. “Shippo? Thank you.”

 

Shippo heaved a sigh. That went as well as could be expected, he supposed. He hoped Inuyasha would hurry back.

 

 

“Come on, you're too slow,” grumbled Inuyasha. He picked up the kitsune, who had been making a big effort to keep up with Inuyasha on his own, and stuck him on his shoulder for the last leg of their journey. Shippo shuddered, and tried not to breathe too deeply.

 

Sango's village was coming along nicely. Already they had replaced the stockade, which Inuyasha easily jumped. Where were the wards? What was Miroku thinking? Inuyasha strode through the village, if it could be called that. There were exactly three new huts, and the only humans Inuyasha could smell were Sango and her child, Miroku, the little miko and Kohaku.

 

Miroku looked up when Inuyasha entered his house. “Where's Kagome?” he asked, not at all surprised to see Inuyasha glowering in the doorway.

 

“Nice to see you too,” Inuyasha replied. “Why haven't you put up protection around this village? You should still be able to do that much.”

 

Miroku actually smiled. “We are expecting some youkai guests,” he explained. “It wouldn't be very polite to purify our guests, now would it? Besides, Shippo lives here, too. He went back to Kaede's village to wait for you and Kagome. I see he found you.” Miroku craned his neck around. “Where did you say Kagome was?”

 

“I didn't,” said Inuyasha. “Only I came this time.”

 

“Inuyasha!” Sango came in, carrying a small bundle which smelled funny. “Where's Kagome?” she asked, puzzled when she saw only Inuyasha.

 

He tch'd in frustration. “She's not coming, all right? She—I didn't want her to come,” Inuyasha confessed. “I heard about the youkai attacks and I tricked her into staying behind. She wanted to see you and the baby. I wouldn't let her, so you can blame me, all right?” All the while Inuyasha kept trying to peek into the bundle Sango carried. “Is this the kid?”

 

Sango nodded. “She's going to be so mad at you,” she said. “But I can't blame you for wanting to keep her safe. It's gotten really bad out there.” She handed the bundle to Inuyasha. “Here.”

 

Inuyasha backed away. He didn't know how to hold a baby. Sango insisted, however, and finally placed the squirming infant in his arms. The baby stopped moving and stared up into Inuyasha's golden eyes. Inuyasha sniffed, trying to sort out the smells. He'd have to get used to this soon enough. “He's tiny,” he finally said.

 

Miroku grinned. “Not that tiny,” he replied. “How did you know we had a son?” he asked, curious. “Could you smell it?”

 

Inuyasha didn't want to admit that Kouga had told him about their son in the future, so he stammered, “Uh, something like that,” and let it go at that.

 

It turned out that Kohaku had brought Rin to the village a few days earlier so that they would be there for the ceremony. Sesshomaru had some errand to do and couldn't stay. Likely story, thought Inuyasha. They planned to meet up with him in about a week, back at Kaede's village, where Rin still studied herbal lore and miko arts.

 

Rin was a big help to Sango with the new baby. It was a shame she couldn't just stay in the village until all this was over. Kouga and Ayame were on their way and should be here in a day or two. The naming ceremony would be held in three days, at Midoriko's cave. It was fitting. The child was a descendant of Midoriko after all.

 

Inuyasha really wanted to talk to Miroku, to tell him the truth. He knew Miroku would keep his secret, and perhaps between the two of them, they could figure out a way to change history. At least if Miroku knew ahead of time what danger he would put his son and all his future descendants in, he might not be so quick to drag Sango and the baby into battle. There never seemed to be a right time to talk to him, however.

 

“Kagome will want to see the baby,” he said. He took out his cell phone and turned it on to take a picture of Sango holding her son. He then showed Miroku and Sango the other pictures he had stored—of Kagome and her family—pictures that he had taken when nobody was looking.

 

“So that's what the shrine looks like in the future?” asked Miroku, as he peered closely at the grainy picture. “What's that the old man's holding?”

 

Inuyasha looked. “I don't know. He's always coming up with some old piece of junk that he says is an ancient relic handed down from generation to generation. He's half senile.”

 

Miroku frowned.

 

Inuyasha carefully turned off the cell phone to preserve the battery. He wondered if they would miss him if he went out for a short run. “I'll be back in a little while,” he called out, as he leaped the stockade. He was glad both Shippo and Kirara were avoiding him because he stank. The humans didn't seem to notice the smell. As soon as he cleared the area, Inuyasha transformed into spirit form. Time to do a little scouting.