InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Silence the Fairytale ❯ Home is Where ( Chapter 36 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

A/n: Everyone really did a good job making me feel better o>o. Thanks ^////^.

Knitting Knots: Without fail, you are always my first reviewer. o3o.

Unistar: :) we'll see ne? *hug*

Lady Pai: Thank you :D. I'll check Dokuga. I don't go to fanfiction.net anymore since they stopped allowing hentai. I'm a dork like that...

J Luc Pitard: Rofl, so do I. People complain my sentences are always choppy and short when I type irl, and that's jus the way I think. I read Tales from the House of the Moon for the ...3rd time? Last week. T//T;. ohwell!

SplendentGoddess: Feel free to be wordy! I like the thoughtful commentary. It makes me consider stuff I dun generally consider. Someone has to keep me on my toes. Rofl a couple people liked that. I just had to do it. It seems too perfect. Sigh. Poor Fluffball. Always with the arms.

Lilyyasha: ^^ thanks ^^

Midcat: Rofl woman! I enjoyed kicking the snot out of him. It was fun. He was originally gonna leave her alone (for the most part) but when Kagome threw herself in the middle of the fight he took her out so she'd stay out of the way. I am glad everyone really liked that bit o>o. Everyone loved the way she purified the miasma. Y'know, I'm really sick of that too. Where people have her stand around like *-* help me help me help meeeeeee. Ew. Come on. She's an extremely powerful priestess. Cut her some slack and give her some real work there. Rawr. Rofl. Somethin somethin... you're too funny. Thanks for thanking Knitting, she deserves it.

Soliea0death: Moou we'll have to see ne? Damn right he transformed and kick the snot out of the bastard rawr :O

loulou472: I knoooow I have such a hard time finding good fics ; ;. I'm happy you enjoy my story, I really am. Thanks ^//^.




Kagome had to come to one conclusion.

The world hurt.

A lot.

The ground hurt her back, the light hurt her eyes, the stupid happily chirping birds she wished would explode into cute balls of fluffy feathers hurt her ears, and all this information hurt her head. She wished she was still unconcious, far, deep, into a blissful abyss of ignorance.

She felt like she had drank too much sake, got into a tavern fight, and lost. About 100 times in a row.

"Uggghnnn..." she groaned, throwing an arm over her eyes to block out the irritating sunlight that had some nerve to be there, shining in her face. Like the sun didn't have someplace else to be, other than the sky.

How dare it.

That is, she was throwing her arm over her face to do so until she shrieked in pain and mortified surprise from the agony inside her ribs. Kagome curled in on herself, releasing a shuddering sob to try and quell the sharp stabbing that was constant inside of her torso. She wished either someone would remove the knife that had lodged itself inside her ribcage and stop twisting it, or just kill her off all together already. Really, she had been hurt before, but this was more than her pain threshold called for.

"I see you are awake, Kagome-chan. Try not to move too much, you broke your ribs and you don't want to make it worse," Shinsei-baa-chan greeted her from the other side of the hut, her voice wafting over the softly crackling fire and the smell of lunch. Her genial nature was rather unwelcome admist Kagome's self tormet and she made a face, wondering how the woman could be so damn pleasant when all she wanted to do was hurl herself off a cliff.

The smell of food made her nauseous almost instantly, and she resisted all urges to heave her stomach onto the floor at the risk of more suffering. The idea of the withering anguish was less inviting than throwing up.

Instead, she decided to focus on a more pleasant subject matter for once, to try and rid herself of the knowledge she hated the world right now.

So she turned her attention to the one thing that made it better.

"...where's Inuyasha?"

She heard Shinsei-baa-chan give off a very manly snort, as if something had not been worth the trouble caused.

"Sealed up in a hut for his own good. Damned idiot wouldn't stay still long enough for his own wounds to heal up as long as he was around you, so we tricked him into a hut and I sealed him inside," she spoke nonchalantly, as if the hell that Inuyasha would undoubtedly unleash upon them for such actions didn't matter. Kagome blinked at the woman, not for the first time marvelling at her ways in the world.

Only Shinsei-baa-chan...

"...nn, doesn't he heal fast?" Kagome tried to recall the nature of the wounds he had sustained in the fight they had, but the fog in her brain wouldn't allow her to focus and instead made her head swim from the effort. She shut her eyes tightly to still the vertigo, and to calm the way the world had begun to shake.

"Generally. But he was afflicted with poison that slowed it, and would have killed him if I hadn't of treated him. Baka was only so concerned about you, didn't give two thoughts about what good he would do dead," Shinsei muttered as she stirred lunch, leaning over the pot in an irritated fashion. Kagome tilted her head at the woman, sensing something more was wrong... Something she wasn't saying.

"...what's wrong, Shinsei-baa-chan?"

The woman released the ladle that rested against the metal rim of the pot as she sat down wearily near the fire. She watched as the older woman rubbed her hands, complaining at times numbness inside them, trying to warm them back to life. She seemed so old in that moment, and Kagome was reminded of her true age... the way her wizened features seemed deeper, more worldly. The way she hunched just the slightest when she walked, the stiffness in her limbs. The way she approached things slowly, as one who had learned not to rush the world. It caused Kagome's heart to ache, as she was struck with the mortality of it all. How fragile humans were indeed, how after one blow, here she laid with broken bones and grievous wounds that would have undoubtedly killed her if yet again Inuyasha had not saved her.

I can't count how many times he's saved my life...

"Child, we need to speak," the words spoken were heavy, like metal, a weight on Kagome's mind. She turned her face slowly to face the elder woman, who seemed deep in thought, concentration and worry apparent on the features that were usually so full of mirth. It worried her, never having seen such a look on that face before in the entirety of time she had known her.

"What is it, Shinsei-baa-chan?"

The elder miko turned to her, taking her hand gently, and patting it in an endearing manner.

"I have not had many apprentices child, and I must say you're one of my most promising in the short time you've been with me."

Kagome blinked at the admission, unsure how to take the way the conversation had started. It was unlike what she had thought she would say, and Kagome began uncertainly, "Ano..."

Shinsei-baa-chan held up one hand to stop her from speaking, and Kagome fell silent.

"Let me finish, Child. There is a lot we must discuss. I just wish you to understand one thing."

Kagome let the befuddlement become apparent on her face, but still she did not speak.

"...I never wished this. You have come to be a tender spot within my heart, someone I enjoy spending my limited days with, someone I could rely on. You've been unconcious for about two weeks already, and much has changed in that time. I shall allow your hanyou to see you soon, but I needed to speak with you first."

Kagome tightened her hand around the elder woman's, whose skin felt thin as she brushed her thumb over the back of her hand. She was encouraging her to speak, her heart filled with trust for the elder miko who never once had rejected her or Inuyasha, though she knew all of their secrets and depth of their love. Who knew he was a hanyou and had named him as something else to protect them from prejudice, who had known he had bedded her the first day they were together, and who had only laughed it off and said not to wake the villagers at night. Who had not looked at them with hatred or disgust once, spoke an unkind or untoward word to either of them, and for it Kagome was deeply grateful. She had come to love the woman like family, someone irreplacably after such a short time, and Kagome trusted anything she said with the utmost faith.

"The villagers have been talking. Kagome... there was a lot of difficulty we had, trying to save your child. We nearly failed..."

Kagome bolted upright, crying out at the sudden hurt that gripped her, but the shock was the foremost in her mind.

"What! Child?!"

She couldn't believe it.

After all that had happened, after everything she was scared of... this had to be the worst. She had faced down a daiyoukai, had challenged him, she had purified hordes of youkai, she had saved the sick, she had faced the suffering of others, the will of Heaven and Kami-sama, the burden of her own love and this...

This chilled her to the bones.

How am I gonna protect...?

"Yes. Inuyasha told us, when he was delirious with fever, to save your child. To save you. He said it in front of others, not realizing. He was desperate... and if he had not, I would not have been able to make the medicines needed to prevent the miscarriage. Otherwise, you would have lost the child for good."

Before Kagome knew it, before she warranted it, tears found their ways to her eyes. They spent down her cheeks silently, and she wrapped her arms around her abdomen self-conciously. The evidence of their love was growing inside of her already, something so powerful and so strong had been given to her and she was going to keep it. She was terrified, and uncertain, and wanted Inuyasha. He would reassure her, he would make everything better just like he always did, just like he was always there and he would take care of her. She needed him.

Right now.

"Where is he? I need to see him, I need him..." she spoke in a daze, the world suddenly surreal as the want overtook her, pulsing on her breast in the form of a mark she didn't understand.

She stood, ignoring the stabbing in her side, ignoring the way her kimono shirt hung open and bandages were all that covered her. She ignored the way the elder miko called her, trying to still her, yet she limped out the door with no other thought but him. All she had to do was follow her feelings, follow the pulsing in her chest that increased in frequency as she got closer to her destination, past the villagers who no longer mattered, who looked down upon her in loathing.

She didn't need to hear the rest to know what they thought, these people who she had tended when they were sick and hurt, these people she had protected with her life, these people who had been around her everyday for a year and had loved her for the image of what they wanted her to be and not who she was.

The only thing that mattered now was moving forward, past these people, past the place she lived yet never called home, a place she no longer had and into the arms of safety.

She walked up to the tattered wooden door that seal him in, this rickety barrier of nothing that kept her from what she desired and she ripped off the sutra without a second thought. Shinsei-baa-chan trailed behind her quietly, knowing she could do nothing to stop Kagome, knowing she'd have to restrain her to keep her from his side.

She pushed the door open with little effort, her eyes straining to see in the low light as her sight adjusted, calling out to him in the darkness of the hut, "Inuya---"

Faster than she could register, warm arms enveloped her and lips came crashing down upon hers, holding her firmly and gently there to avoid hurting her. The power of his presence sunk into her and she fell into him, and he uplifted her, saving her from herself. She began to bawl, great heaving breaths quaking beneath him, each gasp a pained one as it rattled her ribcage...

And she didn't care.

She didn't care.

She was finally in his arms again.

They did not heed the quiet audience that did not disturb their reunion, merely shut the door behind them as she allowed them to finish considerately. Calloused palms brushed away her tears, a deep rumble coming from his chest to calm her, as he made hushing noises in the dark to console her.

"Shh... I'm here now, it's ok Kagome..."

She didn't still, but her choking sobs quieted in volume, down to her sniffling quietly after a few minutes and her quivering uncertainly in his arms.

"Inuyasha... I'm scared..." she muttered, confessing, so softly that only he could hear her.

"I know."

An arm wrapped around her shoulders as he guided them down into a sitting position with her on his lap, as finally her eyes adjusted to the darker light within the confines of what could only be described as a shack. The floor was covered in hay, a bucket of water in the corner and some washing cloths, and an untouched bowl of food signified his presence in here had been a long one. The musty smell reached her nose, as if not a lot of fresh air had been let in.

Turning her attention to Inuyasha, she soaked him in like a sponge. Her gaze flitted across every feature, the way his ears flattened in his hair, the stern look in veiled eyes, the grim line of his mouth as he watched her. She could see the remnants of wounds closing on his face, nearly fully healed, and she touched them gently. He jerked underneath her exploration for only a moment, then relaxed as she cupped his cheek adoringly.

"You should still be lying down, woman... you're still badly injured..." he murmured to her, breathlessly, as if he only half-meant what he said.

"...I had to see you. Gomen. I had to come here... I'm sorry."

"He's still right, you know," finally, Shinsei-baa-chan spoke, approaching the couple that had forgotten she stood there and watched the exchange. "You could miscarry from the stress of the injuries, and after all we did to save it, I am not sure it could survive much more. You must rest for a long time, Kagome..."

She felt the arms around her tighten just a fraction at the words, and Kagome looked at the side of his face. He was studying the older miko with hard eyes, considering...

"...Un. I'll make sure she rests when we get to where we're going... I'll carry her there. It's not a problem..."

Kagome blinked, watching him regard Shinsei-baa-chan with respect. His full attention was on the woman, and Kagome allowed her gaze to turn to her as well as she listened to Shinsei.

"Good, child. Now... where were we in our conversation, Kagome? Before you ran off, that is," the elder miko teased her lightly, as if the conversation had been one of humor and not the dire words of an unknownable future.

"Uhm..."

"Right, we were there. Thank you, now..."

Kagome felt herself sweatdrop, watching Shinsei-baa-chan close her eyes in thought. But I didn't say anything...

"...after the villagers heard Inuyasha talk about your pregnancy while he had his fever," she began, and she felt Inuyasha tense underneath her. He's blaming himself... the thought came to her, and she laid a hand on his thigh, stroking it comfortingly. He relaxed a bit under her touch, but not much.

"They realized he was not an Inugami. And it's obvious he's not a full-blooded youkai. It was obvious then, he could only be a hanyou, which was actually the most obvious answer all along but unfortunately the people in this village are rather dense," Shinsei-baa-chan kidded just a bit, leaning toward a makeshift firepit in the middle of the floor as she reached for flint and tinder inside the folds of her sleeves.

"It didn't take long for them to forget everything that they should be considerate to you for," Shinsei-baa-chan spoke harshly then, bitterness seeping in her voice. She looked down at the fire she was trying to start, as if she blamed herself for the situation, as if she was trying to avoid telling an ugly truth to two people who deserved it the least.

"They wanted you out of the village the next day. It was only by my 'mercy' that I convinced them to show you kindness for your 'treacherous and base' deeds and allow you to recover from your wounds first. They didn't want me to save your child at all, but I said no new soul gifted from Kami-sama would suffer under my care. I refuse it," she said it so factually, about the antagonistic actions of the villagers. Kagome felt her heart twisting in remorse at the thought they would have allowed her to miscarry without any guilt...

"I even asked, if you were properly married, would they have cared? Would you still just be a youkai whore to them? Of course you would, because you loved what should be unlovable, even if you were married in the eyes of Kami-sama..."

A spark lit on hay that had been gathered for fuel, and soon the room was bathed in a soft glow, warmth filling it through the chill in the air. The fire became a comfortable one, soothing away some of the troubles that plagued the room, truths of the world that were unfounded and based on things that no one bothered to understand.

"...who would care, that if it weren't for you both, our village would not be standing today? Every village in all of Musashi has been under attack, from word of it, youkai from far and wide searching for the Shikon no Tama since it has resurfaced. I have heard word from far to the west and north there is trouble even, and it is only by the grace that you have both kept us from harm, and for it I thank you..."

Shinsei-baa-chan turned serious eyes to them both then, earnest and stubborn as she continued to speak.

"I would be happy to assist you in birthing your miracle, Kagome-sama. It is the least I can do for you having saved my own wretched life. But for now I asked you leave this village to avoid bringing harm upon yourselves, by those who are ignorant in their ways. And I apologize on my behalf for the troubles we have caused you..." before them, Kagome watched in disbelief as the elder miko lowered herself slowly to the ground, bowing before them both in humility and respect. The fingers on her shoulder tightened fractionally, and she heard Inuyashsa swallowing loudly, and for the first time in a while he spoke.

"Don't do such a thing, Baba. We did only what was deserved. You taught Kagome everything she knows, and because of you... because of you, she will be able to do much more for herself. It's us who should thank you... Me, who should thank you, for teaching my wife how to protect herself," Inuyasha said it, a thickness in his voice, rough with emotion in a way Kagome had never seen. She blinked at him in admiration and quiet marvel. She was proud of him, and yet... She was puzzled.

"Wife?"

A pair of eyes, one amused and one bashful turned to her.

"Wife," Shinsei-baa-chan confirmed, and Kagome turned in askance to Inuyasha.

He was flaming red, eyes averted and she heard Shinsei-baa-chan chuckle at his embarrassment. "You might as well 'fess up, Child, there's no reason to avoid it any longer."

She heard Inuyasha sigh dismally, eyes squinting at nothing and he cleared his throat nervously. Kagome blinked.

"Uh... remember when that monk attacked us. And, I kinda... well, remember after, the morning after... When, I had bit you. On your chest..."

Kagome recalled, how scared she had been, how bad it had hurt, and how sorry he had been.

"Yea, what about it? Is... that what Sesshomaru was talking about, me being your Mate? What is that?"

Inuyasha faced her, worry etched in his eyes, his brows drawn down in a frown.

"Yes... it's basically... to all other youkai, you are my wife. And have been, since I did that. I'm sorry, it's supposed to... be... more special than what happened. Uh... I'm supposed to ask you," he admitted angrily, looking away from her again.

Kagome felt her eyes widen at the realization... that he had done it long, long before they had ever been together. And all that time, when they were married in a sense of the word, and he never... did anything? Indignant anger suddenly crossed her, frustration that he had waited so long to tell her. She scowled at him, smacking him upside the back of the head.

"BAKA!" she yelled loudly, all previous conversation forgotten under her irritated frustration. He gazed at her with wide and bewildered eyes, hand flying to the back of his head that she had offended.

"Nadayo!? What the hell did you hit me for!?"

She glared at him infuriated, crossing her arms the best she could within his embrace, leaning away from him even though she stayed in his lap.

"I was confused for so long, why the hell did you wait so long to make a move?! Here I've been your wife for a year and you waited until only a month ago to do something about it?! BAKA NO INUYASHA!" she shouted at him, watching him close one eye and lean the opposite direction as his ears planted themselves against his skull.

"Nani?! How was I supposed to know you'd want me to!?" he said back defensively, almost cowering under the heat of her scowl.

"I'd figure it was obvious!" she stated derisively, grabbing onto one puppy ear angrily and tugging on it in punishment.

"What! I'm not a fucking mind reader!" he was reaching a clawed hand to remove her fingers from pulling on his ear, when they were both interrupted once again by a deep laughter.

"Oh my, you two. If this is how you acted before you mated her, I'm surprised you waited so long too," Shinsei-baa-chan rubbed a single hand against her eyes, tears of laughter and happiness gathered there. She watched them both as they stared blankly at her, watching her as if she had gone mad. But Shinsei-baa-chan could see it, and she knew then...

"You two... will be just fine."

They both stared at her in confusion as she simply smiled a knowing smile at them both.



Their farewell was short and to the point. They did not want to make trouble for Shinsei-baa-chan, who had no where to go, and no one to turn to should the village decide she had helped the pair far too much. She had been able to pack them some supplies, medicinal herbs, extra arrows and clothes, pottery and the like to help them be more comfortable as once again they took to the road.

The had come the way they had left, heading back south toward their one true home-- their den. The path had been etched deep into Inuyasha's subconcious, often he had dreamed of taking Kagome back to that place within the last year. He had walked the path over and over in his dreams, each time different, each situation that brought them there different.

Yet in every dream, he had felt content.

And it was no different now, as he carried her on his back, their pack next to her as he walked slowly. He didn't wish to stress her body out too much, the warning Shinsei-baba had imparted them with stuck inside his mind like a blaring siren.

She needs to rest, or she may miscarry.

Buyo laid across his shoulder, the lazy cat fast asleep as he kept his pace even. Kirara circled around his feet, pouncing on his toes every now and then, and he was careful not to jostle his precious contents at Kirara's antics.

He pushed her away gently with his foot, and Kagome was too tired to comment on it, laying her head against his shoulder as she dozed in the afternoon sun. It was still cool, cold enough for their breath to show on the air now and again, and Inuyasha knew he had little time to prepare for winter and to keep his pregnant wife comfortable for the season. He knew it would be hard, and knew he would have spent all autumn doing so if he had known they were going to return.

But being a hanyou came with some upsides, like being able to get shit done that normal humans may not be able to do. Only...

"Inu..."

A single ear turned toward her as she spoke dreamily, half asleep as she addressed him. He grunted to acknowlegde her, and she ran her hand through his hair lovingly.

"...tonight's the night of the new moon, isn't it?"

Inuyasha winced, having forgotten.

"Yes, it is... I suppose we should stop soon, so I can get a fire going for the night... I don't want you to catch cold..."

He felt her nod against his back, the hand tangling in his hair just a bit further. She sighed.

"How far away are we, from the den?"

He deliberated only a moment before answering her.

"Maybe two and a half days worth of walking at this pace. But it's fine, I can carry you... I don't want to hurt you," he admitted softly to her, tilting his head back as a hand reached his ear and rubbed it. He grimaced again, the feeling of guilt welling up inside of him...

"Kagome?"

"Hm?"

"...I'm sorry. I'm sorry we had to leave, and that things turned out this way again."

The hand on his ear tugged it gently, as if admonishing him.

"Inuyasha... where is my home?"

"...Nani?"

He didn't understand the question.

"Where is my home?"

Blinking, he thought about it. He couldn't really say where it was, since they were constantly travelling, but... he supposed if they had a home, it could only be one thing.

"The den?"

Once more, he felt her shake her head in the negative.

"No, baka. My home is with you."

He stopped walking.

"...wherever you are, I am at home. So I'll always be ok."

She felt his hands loosen on her, as gently he set her down. She gasped as her feet landed on the ground softly, looking up at him in inquiry as he turned around to face her.

Inside of her, her heart clenched as she looked into his eyes.

They shone, with unshed tears, as he stared at her hard.

"Same. It's the same for me, Kagome..."

Kagome choked on her emotion, sniffing loudly as he leaned down to kiss her gently, washing away all the worry of everything that had happened, the rejection of another place that should have shown kindness and instead gave them animosity.

It all faded away under the warmth of his love.

And she understood what Shinsei-baa-chan had meant, at that time.

She had been right.

They were going to be ok.

They had each other...

Always.