InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sword of Supreme Conquest ❯ Chapter 22 ( Chapter 22 )

When Inuyasha awoke next, it was to the realization that he was completely alone. His ears twitched slightly, straining to pick up any sound within the hut that would suggest Kagome's presence, but to his disappointment all he heard was the gentle crackle of the fire next to him. Her scent was old too. She wasn't only gone, she'd been gone for a while - at least a few hours.

 

 

With a groan he rolled onto his side and cracked his eyes open. The hut was dim even though it was broad daylight just beyond the door. He quickly caught sight of three containers of ramen noodles, placed tantalizingly out of reach, and a note on the floor in front of him. Tilting his head he rested it casually against his hand and used a claw to drag the note towards him. He stopped it under his nose and quickly scanned Kagome's delicate script.

 

 

Inuyasha - I've gone to Sango and Miroku's to pick up supplies. I'll be back by sun down. I left some ramen for you to eat while I'm gone, just don't eat it all at once.

 

- Kagome

 

 

The half demon scoffed and dubiously eyed the three inconspicuous styrofoam containers staring back at him.

 

 

Only three? Who does she think I am, Shippo?!

 

 

His stomach growled audibly in response, hinting none too subtly that it wanted to be fed. Inuyasha's mouth turned downwards into a frown and he gingerly placed his hand over the gnawing hunger ache in his belly. His fever had long since broken and many of his wounds had already begun to scar over. He just wasn't too keen on having to test out his body's mobility so soon.

 

 

He knew from experience that the first movements after a serious injury were generally anything but pleasant. Kagome had set up the array of ramen before him, conveniently just out of arms reach, with the intention of forcing him to do just that. It was obvious to him she was impatient to get their mission underway and didn't want to waste any more time than necessary waiting for him to heal.

 

 

Rolling his eyes skyward, he asked the gods to be merciful and keep the pain to a minimum. Breathing deeply through his nose he closed his eyes in a moment of Zen-like calm and dug his claws into the floorboards. With a quick gasp he pushed his body upright on one fluid motion and let out a startled cry of pain. The breath whooshed noisily through his clenched teeth as searing pain tore down the centre of his chest and cascaded across his ribcage in radiating waves.

 

 

Clutching his chest, he collapsed against the wall and gulped down several heavy gasps. The warm red haori that'd been thoughtfully tossed over him dropped lifelessly into his lap, exposing his naked torso to the cool air. It took several shuddering breaths and a few moments of not moving a hair before the pain subsided into a dull ache and became tolerable.

 

 

Glancing downwards, Inuyasha cast his amber eyes over the battle marred skin of his torso. A soft whistle escaped his lips when he saw the numerous bandages and red welts that covered the otherwise pale skin. Sesshomaru had really done a number on him, not that he hadn't deserved it of course. Every single one of the gashes in his chest was justified and he found himself mildly disappointed that his brother hadn't done worse.

 

 

If given the choice, he knew he'd do it again. In his eyes, the pain he'd endured was well worth the reward. His ears twitched and a lopsided smile turned the corners of his lips. He hadn't even met their son and already he was the most important person in the world to him. His smile quickly faded into a troubled frown as he contemplated Kagome's reasons for keeping them apart. Was she afraid that he couldn't be a good father?

 

 

His expression darkened as a myriad of disconcerting thoughts and unanswered questions swam through his mind. Unconsciously his claws balled into fists and he pressed them against the rough material of his hakama pants to keep from clawing at the floor. With his eyes closed he allowed his head to drop back against the wall with a resounding `thud'.

 

 

Dammit Kagome! Why did you have to run out when I have so many questions I need answered? I don't even know what my own son looks like…

 

 

Inuyasha's eyes opened slowly, their deep amber colour reflecting the anxieties that rested heavily upon his heart. Hearing a sound from outside, he glanced toward the door and caught sight of a small shadow lurking near the entrance. The hair on his arms instinctively rose up on end. His ears and nose twitched simultaneously as the sounds and smells from outside the confines of the hut reached him one by one.

 

 

Grass, dust, birds, the wind… Ah, there he is!

 

 

With a belligerent smirk Inuyasha crossed his arms in front of his chest and eyed the doorway expectantly. The edge of a fluffy tail came into view, confirming the identity of the snoop who resided just beyond his reach.

 

 

“Oi! Shippo! Are you gonna sneak around outside all day or come in and say `hello'?”

 

 

The tiny fox demon halted in his tracks, one foot suspended in the air mid-step. His face turned reluctantly towards the bamboo door. Cringing, he straightened his leg, and put on his best brave face before pushing the mat aside and letting himself in.

 

 

“Oh, hey Inuyasha,” he called out casually as he meandered towards the far side of the fire. “How ya feeling?”

 

 

“Just fine thanks,” the half demon responded moodily. He braced his palms against his knees and leaned forward with a dangerous gleam in his eye. “Now do you mind explaining what you were doing hovering outside the door?”

 

 

Shippo's large green eyes shifted nervously between Inuyasha's piercing gaze and the floor.

 

 

“Um…uh…,” he stuttered helplessly. Of all the times for Kagome to be gone…! Realizing he was about three seconds away from a beating he glanced around the room for something he could use as a distraction.

 

 

It didn't take him long to catch sight of the three small containers set up in a row in front of Inuyasha. The printed label that spelled out “Ramen” was impossible to miss. The young fox demon's eyes grew wide at the sight and he hurriedly reached forward to scoop one up.

 

 

“Ninja food! Yum!”

 

 

“Hey! Give that back you little runt! That's all I have to eat! In case you didn't notice Kagome's abandoned me here to starve.”

 

 

Shippo rolled his eyes in exaggerated frustration and set the ramen container on the floor well out of arms reach of the fuming half demon. With a tiny huff he settled himself on top of the Styrofoam lid, crossed his legs and rested his chin against his palm.

 

 

“Jeez, Inuyasha. You're so melodramatic! Kagome just went to Sango and Miroku's. She'll be back in a few hours.”

 

 

Inuyasha snorted with indignation and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Shippo took a moment to let his eyes travel across his friend's well bandaged torso. Kagome had told him about the battle with Sesshomaru but he'd wanted to see it for himself. He couldn't believe that Inuyasha had gone up against Tokijin and Tetsusaiga unarmed and lived to talk about it. As much as he hated to admit it, he was impressed with the half demon's resilience and looked up to him with a newfound appreciation.

 

 

Inuyasha turned a scowl on Shippo, feeling uncomfortably exposed beneath his probing eyes.

 

 

“Why don't you make yourself useful and make me some ramen?” he barked, his voice louder than necessary to hide his discomfort.

 

 

The fox demon nearly jumped out of his skin but hopped off the Styrofoam cup and heaved it up into his arms.

 

 

“Sure I'll make it for you…if I can have some too,” he bargained, fixing Inuyasha with a smug smile. The hanyou groaned in defeat and finally held up his hands, waving them towards the fox in a placating gesture.

 

 

“Fine, fine, just hurry up. I'm starving!”

 

 

As the two companions waited impatiently for their noodles to cook, they subtly eyed each other down. When Inuyasha couldn't take it anymore he pounded his fist against the floor and was immediately rewarded with a sharp jolt of pain down his sides. With a loud hiss he latched his hand around his ribs and glared at the fox kit as if it was his fault.

 

 

“Shippo if you've got somethin' to say then say it!” he demanded, his bruised pride evident.

 

 

Shippo eyed Inuyasha curiously overtop of the pot of boiling water. He gave the noodles a quick stir in their cups. Almost ready…

 

 

“I was wondering…,” he began thoughtfully. “Since Sesshomaru already has Tetsusaiga, why'd he attack you? You must've done something to really tick him off!”

 

 

Inuyasha avoided Shippo's eyes and stared hard at the floor.

 

 

How the hell am I supposed to explain it to him? Damn it Kagome! Why couldn't you be here to handle this?

 

 

Sighing in resignation, he rested his gaze on the young fox demon and felt his body slump even further into the wall. This wasn't going to be easy.

 

 

 

oOo

 

 

 

It was after dark by the time Kagome returned. Inuyasha could smell her the moment she emerged from the forest on Kirara's back. His back went rigid and his eyes lingered expectantly on the door. He'd done his best to explain the situation to Shippo but he was never good with words and the young fox demon ended up looking thoroughly confused by the end.

 

 

Balling the fabric of his hakama pants into his fists, he silently hoped the kid would keep his mouth shut. The last thing he needed was to relive that awkward conversation all over again the moment Kagome came waltzing through the door. Besides, he wanted the kit gone as soon as possible. He had dozens of questions he needed to ask her, all of them of a personal nature, and the last thing he wanted was Shippo's sonic hearing to be anywhere within fifty miles of their hut.

 

 

Kagome pushed aside the bamboo mat covering the door and let herself in with an accomplished sigh. Every thought that'd been racing through Inuyasha's mind evaporated. His eyes grew wide and his mouth literally dropped open in surprise. Shippo seemed shocked as well; his chopsticks were frozen in mid-air, suspended halfway to his mouth.

 

 

“Kagome?” Inuyasha questioned aloud after finding his voice.

 

 

He discreetly sniffed the air to be sure, but her scent was unmistakable. There was no doubt about it. His nose told him the figure standing in front of him was Kagome - it was all of his other senses that were a problem. She stood just inside the door, one hand casually holding the bamboo mat to the side while the other rested on the hilt of the katana at her hip. The black leather of Sango's demon slaying uniform hugged her curves, emphasizing all of her womanly assets. Inuyasha's mouth went dry and he swallowed convulsively.

 

 

Ignoring the amber eyes gawking at her, Kagome turned a warm smile to Shippo who was more apt at hiding his surprise.

 

 

“Hey Shippo! When did you get here?”

 

 

Hurriedly shoving the last of the ramen into his mouth, the fox demon gobbled it up at lightning speed.

 

 

“I came just after you arrived at Sango and Miroku's! When you told them that Inuyasha had gone up against Sesshomaru unarmed I just HAD to see it for myself!”

 

 

“Hey! What exactly are you implying runt?” the half demon in question demanded defensively. He swiped at him with his claws but Shippo was smart enough to dive for cover behind Kagome's legs. Coward, he thought before noticing Kagome's disapproving glare.

 

 

“Well I'm sure Inuyasha appreciated your company,” she offered in a placating tone. It was difficult to keep a grin from splitting her face in two. She could think of no worse torture for Inuyasha then to be cooped up in a hut all day with only Shippo to keep him company. She hadn't done it on purpose, but it definitely gave her a sense of satisfaction to know that the kit had been just as much trouble as ever.

 

 

Kagome's smile quickly faded as her mind drifted to more serious matters. She hadn't discussed the situation with Inuyasha yet and wasn't looking forward to it one bit. A sinking feeling of regret told her they would never see eye to eye on the issue. He had no choice but to try and understand her decision. It'd already been made and there was no going back now. He'd just have to accept it and learn to come to terms with the fact that she was doing what was best for her child.

 

 

“Come on Shippo, Kirara's waiting outside to take you home.”

 

 

She pulled the young fox demon up into a warm hug. She longed to hold her own sons like this again and the thought made her unconsciously squeeze Shippo a little tighter than usual. He looked at her oddly for a moment after she'd set him on the ground but quickly skipped outside to meet up with the two-tail.

 

 

Kagome waited until long after the pair of demons had faded into the darkness of the forest before she turned to face Inuyasha. He was watching her intently, his amber eyes trying to look anywhere but at the spot below her chin where the leather suit held her breasts in place.

 

 

“I thought I should borrow this since we're probably going to have to do a lot of fighting to get to the sword,” she stated as she self consciously ran her hand down the leather covering her hip and thigh.

 

 

Inuyasha was at a loss for words. He understood now why Miroku constantly had his hands all over Sango. The suit emphasized everything that normally remained comfortably hidden beneath Kagome's regular clothes. Though he didn't mind seeing her more exposed in the least, he hardly figured it was the time or the place. Those days were long gone.

 

 

He gulped audibly and tried to force the litany less than pure images from his mind. He managed to recover just in time to meet Kagome's dark gaze and quickly nodded his head.

 

 

“Yeah…right…I didn't recognize you at first. I thought you were Sango. You look so much like her in that suit.”

 

 

Kagome shrugged half heartedly. The ponytail she'd wrapped her hair up in licked at her shoulders as she stoked the fire.

 

 

“Well with the baby on the way it's not like she can fit into it anymore. She said I could keep it for the next few months until she's ready to have it back.”

 

 

She inwardly cringed at the word `baby'. When she glanced up she saw recognition flicker in his eyes, confirming her fears. She turned away in a last ditch attempt to avoid the discussion that would rear its ugly head at any moment. When he spoke, her shoulders shrugged up around her ears. She didn't want to deal with this now. She didn't want to hurt him, but it was the only way to ensure things worked out the way they were supposed to.

 

 

“What about our baby Kagome? Where is he?”

 

 

Kagome swallowed hard and pulled in a shaky breath. She cleared her throat quietly and tried to sound as confident as possible when she spoke. “I left him with Sesshomaru.”

 

 

She'd been prepared for the tense silence that filled the hut. She could only imagine how he felt. He was probably thinking that Sesshomaru had already killed his son by now, but she knew better. As angry as he was that the child wasn't his own flesh and blood, Sesshomaru had too much honour to cut down a defenceless baby. He would care for it until she returned. She'd made sure of that before she left the palace on Ah-Un's back with Inuyasha's lifeless body draped across her lap.

 

 

She'd expected Inuyasha to be angry with her, she'd expected him to have trouble understanding her decision, but when he shouted at her she nearly jumped out of her skin. If he'd yelled any louder her family would've been able to hear him on the other side of the well.

 

 

“What are you nuts?! How could you be so stupid Kagome? What do you think he's going to do? Love our son and care for it like his own?! He's probably already cut him to pieces!”

 

 

She turned on him and saw the way his chest was heaving with emotion. Thankfully he was still injured enough to remain immobile, otherwise she was certain he would've pinned her to the floor.

 

 

“Yes, that's exactly what he's going to do,” she spat back at him, her own anger and frustration emerging loud and clear.

 

 

“Sesshomaru will care for my son because he has honour and integrity. As far as I am concerned, Sesshomaru IS his father. What happened between us was never supposed to be Inuyasha. You know it as well as I do. I won't let some poor child go homeless and parentless because of it!”

 

 

The half demon bared his fangs at her and angrily tore his claws through his hair.

 

 

“You gotta be KIDDING ME! Sesshomaru is his father? I'M his FATHER! I just got the shit kicked out of my by your oh-so-honourable mate because I'm that kid's father. You can't take that away from me Kagome!”

 

 

She eyed him coolly, her face set into a grim frown. Standing, she walked towards him slowly, careful to stay out of arms reach. When she was close enough she crossed her arms and legs and sat in front of him, holding his eyes with a scathing glare. Her eyes told him that he was just a hair away from being `sat', injured or not.

 

 

“I can and I have. Accept it. You can't be a father to him right now but Sesshomaru can. You have nothing to offer him. You have no land, no power, no money and no connections to the other dog demon tribes. Sesshomaru has all of those things and more. Don't you get it? He's better off where he is!”

 

 

Inuyasha growled and let out an undignified snort. Though he hated to admit it, she was right. He had nothing to offer a child, or a woman for that matter. It was no wonder Kagome chose Sesshomaru all those years ago. He offered her a stable future and a home, while he hadn't even been able to guarantee she'd live to see the next day.

 

 

He wanted to agree with her logic but his heart didn't want to accept it. It felt as if a part of him had been stolen while he slept; it was akin to waking up to discover that you've lost a finger or a toe. On their own they seem insignificant, but once they're gone you realize what an incredible impact they have.

 

 

“You're right. I have nothing to offer. I'm pathetic,” he muttered in muted shock. His eyes stared unseeing at his clawed hands and he balled them into fists atop his lap.

 

 

Kagome's eyes softened. She hadn't meant to be so harsh, but knowing his thick head blunt words were the only thing that got through. Reaching out she took his hand in her own, a peace offering of sorts. He wrapped his fingers around hers and gave them a light squeeze.

 

 

“You do have something to offer. Be his friend. All little boys want to have someone to look up to. Why not be a hero to him like you are to Sota?” She suggested in a soothing voice.

 

 

A crooked smile tugged at the corner of Inuyasha's lips as he remembered the dark haired boy who'd always stared at him with such awe and amazement in his eyes. It felt good to be looked up to by someone. If he didn't have what it took to be a father just yet, then perhaps he could settle for being his hero and best friend instead. Maybe some day when he was fully grown he'd tell him the truth, but for the time being he had to agree with Kagome - the kid was better off where he was.

 

 

“Did you name him?” he asked quietly, looking up to meet her mocha coloured eyes. She shook her head gently and dropped her gaze to the floor.

 

 

“No. I didn't really have time and I figured it might be best if Sesshomaru named him. You know, so it would be more…official…”

 

 

Inuyasha nodded his head understandingly and rested it back against the wall with a dull `thunk'. He stared blankly up at the ceiling, silently marvelling at their situation. They'd been on quite an adventure together but somehow they'd remained friends. He knew he didn't deserve her friendship or her love, but he wasn't going to complain as long as it was there. He needed her more than he would ever admit which was what kept him coming back to her again and again.

 

 

This trip into the well would bring them on another new adventure, one that could end with Kagome's life being extinguished at the hands of some unknown enemy. He tried not to dwell on the thought of how empty his life would be once she was gone. Instead, he focused on how he was going to keep her alive. Perhaps Akira had been wrong about the whole thing. Maybe if he was strong enough and fast enough he could keep her out of harms way.

 

 

He flexed one of his clawed hands and felt his strength slowly start to return. Once he got it back he'd use every last ounce of it to protect her. He didn't care what happened to him. If he died the world would continue to turn. If she died his son would be left without a mother and that just wasn't an option.

 

 

He watched in silence as Kagome prepared a bed for herself a few feet away from his cot. With the dawn they would head through the well to her time to meet up with Akira and then return the past to resume their mission. It wasn't going to be easy, but somehow they'd make it through because this time they both had something to fight for.