InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ To Begin Again ❯ Scroll Five: Predictions ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Scroll Five: Predictions

She had been spending her weekends in the Sengoku Jidai for nearly two months now. Inuyasha had spent a lot of time at her family’s shrine during the week and it seemed that the rift that had been forged between them after Kikyo’s death was being mended and things had become almost normal. Shippou, of course, was not happy with the amount of time she was allowed on his side of the well, wanting his mother there all the time the way she had been before.

Sango and Miroku were planning a house. He wanted to build it on the other side of town and Inuyasha was supposed to help, as were the villagers. Sango and Kagome had been planning the inside - how large it would be, how many separate rooms and such as that. She’d promised to bring some modern amenities that would be useful for their new home. Then they were going to be married. Though customs between Kagome’s era and the feudal era were considerably different and formal marriage ceremonies were mostly reserved for the noble class, Sango and Miroku had decided that they would have a ceremony. Kaede knew a priest from a neighboring village who would perform the rites whenever they were ready.

On this particular Sunday, Kagome and her friends were lounging outside of Kaede’s hut, enjoying the cool breezes, and talking about future plans, when they saw a wagon and a small band of people coming their way down the path that led towards the village. They were quiet as the group approached, and gave each other curious looks when the wagon stopped and an old woman came up to them. She had long, gray hair that she wore in a braid. From what Kagome could tell, she looked foreign, though she obviously had some Japanese blood in her. Probably, she thought, the daughter or granddaughter of some straggling explorer. Come to think of it, all of her group looked foreign.

“Excuse me,” for a foreigner, her Japanese was perfect. She was definitely a native of the Japanese islands, “but is there a village or something nearby where we could make camp?”

Sango looked from her friends to the elder woman. “There’s a village just down this path, but there’s no inn or anything. You can camp on the other side of the village, but I wouldn’t suggest going through the forest at night. There’s a lot of youkai around this area.”

Kagome finally realized at that point what these people reminded her of. Gypsies.

The elder woman smiled and nodded. “Thank you, young lady. Perhaps we will camp just outside the forest if we cannot make it through before dark.” She saw Kagome’s curious looks and laughed. “Perhaps to return your favor, I could read your fortunes? That is what my family and I do, we dabble in fortune reading and performances.”

“I don’t think so, babaa,” Inuyasha spoke from the tree he’d been lounging in.

“Inuyasha, it’s just a bit of fun.” Kagome stood up and looked into the branches, her arms crossed over her chest. “It can’t hurt to see what she’s got to say. It might be interesting.”

He leapt from the tree to the ground, crouching in front of her and sat back on his butt, leaning against the trunk of the tree. “You all can get your futures told if you wanna, but leave me out of it.”

The old woman looked at the hanyou, one brow raised in seeming disbelief. There was something about him that seemed to tug at her memory. And there was something about the girl that caught her interest.



“You, miko, I will read your future. Come with me,” she waved her hand towards the men and women that were standing by their wagon. “Jasper, get my table and cards.”

A young man about Kagome’s age jumped into the back of the wagon and grabbed a table that had been lying on its side. This he set on the ground and then handed her a small, carved box that contained her tarot cards and a small wooden bowl. She took out the bowl and a small knife.



“I need a small lock of your hair.”

Kagome fingered her strands and contemplated not allowing it, but finally leaned forward, pulling a handful from underneath, where it wouldn’t be noticeable. The old woman cut a small bit from it and dropped the strands in the bowl, and then proceeded to pour liquids from small bottles that she produced from a pouch at her waist. The concoction bubbled and the woman made little noises in the back of her throat.



"You will face a great struggle unlike any other you have faced. There will be no enemy with which to fight, but it will be just as difficult as anything you have gone up against. Do not despair. You must remember that your destiny has already been written and you will return to those that love you."

Kagome looked at her, frowning. This woman couldn‘t possibly be talking about Naraku. He was dead and had been for quite some time. "I don't understand."

"You will soon enough." The woman dumped the bowls contents on the ground next to her and set it aside. "No more. I will read the hanyou next."

"I don't need my fortune told, babaa." He stood at the side, not liking what he heard the woman tell Kagome. "Read the bouzu or Sango if you wanna predict something."

"I will read you, hanyou."

Kagome stood up and touched his arm. "Inuyasha," she said quietly. "it‘s just a bit of fun. It's okay. I mean, it's probably not even true."

He looked down at her, glaring. "Feh, fine, whatever." He stood in front of the old woman who held out her hand and he grudgingly gave her his which she turned over and studied.

“You will encounter a foe that not even you will be able to defeat. You will be overpowered and you will lose everything that you have worked to gain. Everything and everyone you love the most will be taken from you by your own hand.”

Inuyasha jerked his hand away from hers and closed it into a fist. “I think you’d better be on your way babaa,” he growled, narrowing his golden gaze on her. “And don’t come near us again.” His fists were closed so tightly, he was beginning to draw blood from the palms of his hands.

"Inuyasha, I told you, it's probably not even real." They were watching the wagon disappear over the trail towards the village. He was still in a funk over what the old woman had told them. "She was just trying to bait you."

"Feh." He didn't want to tell her that he feared what the woman said was true.


Kagome giggled as Inuyasha tossed the khaki backpack over the edge of the well and then jumped out with her on his back. Her hand went for his head again and her fingers caressed his ear gently. In their current position he couldn't brush her hand away like he'd been trying to do.



"Admit it, you like it."



She usually wasn't like this with him because she knew his boundaries and his ears were one of them. But it had been the only way she could think of to distract him from the gypsy woman's predictions, and so far it had been working.

"Cut it out already! I'm not a fucking dog, Kagome." He growled slightly and tried to dislodge her from his back, but she held on tighter. "You expect me to carry you everywhere now? I thought you just needed someone to lift that bag."

Kagome giggled again, but refused to be moved. "I wanted a lift too?" Though it held the tone of a question, it was as close as she could get to an innocent statement with her giggles. "Oh, come on, Inuyasha! How often do I get chauffeured around by a koinu youkai?"

"Every damn day," he grumbled. "And I'm not a fucking puppy - I'm a hanyou. An inu hanyou. Inu not koinu."

Despite his surliness, she still grinned. "Your ears twitch when you get mad. It's so kawaii!" Again her fingers found the soft, fuzzy flesh and stroked it lightly.

"Damn, bitch, stop that!" But she had stopped, he realized. She had ceased all movement, even breathing, and her body had tensed more than he would have thought possible. "Kagome?"

"Oh...no...Kami..."



There was a man some yards from them as they exited the well house. He was currently talking to her mother and her jii-chan. Souta stood behind their mother, seemingly hiding behind her skirt. She couldn't breath...that figure...that stance...that silhouette...she knew that outline like she knew the back of her hand. And when he turned towards her, she knew those blue eyes too. Managing one coherent thought she quickly put her hands over Inuyasha's ears, hiding them from the man's sight for the time being, remembering to be gentle but firm.

"Look wench - "

"No....no....no....no...."

"Kagome? What is it?" He was starting to get worried now. The scent of Kagome's fear was increasing with every second. What had frightened her so, he didn't see a threat...

"Papa..."

"Huh?"

Before he could ask the rest of his question or figure out just what the hell was going on, Higarashi Keiko spotted the two of them and forced a smile. "Kagome," her voice sounded strained, "will you do me a favor and take Souta inside to wash up? It seems Haruki will be staying for dinner."

She had no voice. Her vocal chords refused to work. The man before her was familiar, but she had been so young when he left, barely seven. She remembered him being taller and having broader shoulders, but she'd been smaller then. His light brown hair was sprinkled with gray and his face seemed more weathered, darker, older. He certainly had not aged as gracefully as her mother. He managed a pleasant smile, though the bright blue eyes told a different story, one of regret and surprise. "Why is that young man giving you a piggy back ride?"

His question broke through the clamp holding her voice back and, after several failed attempts, she managed to speak. "We were at the park. I fell and sprained my ankle. Inuyasha was kind enough to carry me home." She still had not moved her hands from his head.



What right does he have to question me and what I do? He left us! Ten years and all we've had were Christmas cards, birthday cards and expensive gifts that he paid someone else to wrap. Not one phone call. Not one visit and then showing up here?! Who does he think he is?!



Her anger was starting to take place of her fear and her shock.

"Inuyasha? Does he go to school with you?" Haruki's questions were only serving to anger her further.

"No, he doesn't go to school with me."

"Does he have a last name?"

"I'm right here you know." Inuyasha's sudden and irritated intervention caught them both off guard. "You could ask me."

"I apologize for my rudeness." The older man bowed to the hanyou. "I am Higarashi Haruki, Kagome's father."

"Taioushou Inuyasha." He used his father's name as a formal predecessor to his given name, not knowing what else to use, but did not return the bow. It would have been awkward with Kagome on his back and given the scents that were radiating from the aforementioned girl, he was quickly deciding he did not like this man.



"I'm Kagome's friend." He looked around Keiko and the old man, seeing Souta staring at the man with wide eyes, also wary. Just one more reason to not like this man. He was upsetting the half-daemon's family - yes, that's what Kagome's family had become to him.



A slight inkling of fear reached his nose, coming from the boy. Sorrow radiated from Kagome's okaa and anger was rolling in waves from the old jijii. Yet the human seemed oblivious to the discomfort his presence caused. "Come on brat. You're okaa said to go get cleaned up."

Souta gladly ran after the hanyou and his nee-chan as she was carried into the house, away from the stranger who claimed to be his father.


"That didn't go over very well, did it?" Haruki said with a slight sigh as he watched his children and the white haired boy disappear.

"What did you expect from them, Haruki?" Keiko demanded. "You walked out of their lives ten years ago, leaving them to deal with the fact that their father considered his job more important than them. You never called. You never took the time to come and visit or even invite them to visit with you. Did you really think that a few cards and nice presents were going to make up for everything they didn't get?" She shook her head and held out her hand to keep him from responding. "You can stay for dinner Haruki, but don't even consider bringing her. If you want to introduce the children to her, you'll have to do so somewhere other than the shrine. I will not have them experiencing that in a place where they are supposed to be safe."

"Do you honestly think that Ikoku is going to hurt them?" Haruki raised his brow in a curious fashion. "She's my wife, not a monster."

"They won't see it that way, I can assure you." Keiko shook her head. "I have to go start dinner." And she left the father and son standing in the courtyard alone.

"Why have you returned here?" Oijii Higarashi demanded, his voice quiet yet angry. "I demand an explanation, Haruki."

Haruki looked at the cobblestone courtyard unable to meet his father's eyes. "I was transferred back to Tokyo. I married Ikoku. She wanted to meet my children." He looked up at the sky, still avoiding the hard black glare. "I wanted to see my children."


Dinner that night went quietly with none of the usual chatter about school or the feudal era or even the shrine's business. Everyone seemed absorbed in their meals of oden, which wasn't even as enjoyable to Kagome as it usually was. Haruki attempted to start conversation several times but each one was cut off with one or two word answers.

"So, Kagome, how long have you and Inuyasha known each other?" He asked casually as if nothing were wrong.

"Two years."

"How did you meet?"

"He was asleep. I woke him up. Things just sort of fell in place after that." Her answers were short and clipped.

Haruki mentally winced. His father was right. He did deserve this. "Are the two of you an item?"

Kagome's dark blue eyes were hard when she looked across the table at him. "Do you have a right to know?"

"Of course I do. I'm your father."

Her brow shot up, a surprised look on her features, but she radiated with barely controlled anger. In fact, between the old priest and Kagome, the anger scent was enough to make Inuyasha noxious.



"Oh, really?"

"Kagome -" Keiko put a hand on Kagome's arm, but was ignored.

"Hai, I am your father."

"And what gave you that idea? Besides the fact that your name happens to be on mine and Souta's birth certificates?" She put her chopsticks down and looked across at him. "Did you really think a few trips to the zoo when I was a kid would make up for the fact that you left us? That your liked your job more than us? That you ignored the fact that we needed you?"

Haruki's expression didn't change. He'd come to expect their anger in the last few hours. "Kagome, there are a lot of things we need to discuss, but I hardly think that this is the time or the place."

"If not now, when? How long do you plan to stick around this time?"

This time he smiled slightly. "A while, actually. Ikoku and I have an apartment here in Tokyo and the company is working on making this a long term settlement seeing as Ikoku is in a delicate condition at the moment."

Souta had been looking back and forth between his father and his sister, but curiosity got the best of him. "Who's Ikoku?"

Haruki's smile widened farther. "My wife."

Kagome paled several shades. "Mama, may I be excused?"

Keiko nodded. "Yes, you may."

She was up and out of the room so fast that the hanyou, who had been scarfing down his food through the entire outburst, dropped his own bowl and followed after her in concern. He found her in the upstairs bathroom, ridding herself of everything she'd just eaten. Giving her a little privacy, he waited in her room, sitting cross-legged on the bed.

When she came in, she went straight to the bed and drew herself up beside him. Inuyasha was not good at showing affection or giving comfort and she knew that and knew it made him uncomfortable, basically because he didn‘t know how. Normally he wouldn't be the one she would have sought, but today he was all she had.



With a sigh, she leaned sideways until she was lying on her side with her head on his thigh. Reaching back she grabbed his wrist and maneuvered his hand so that it lay on her head at her hairline and indicated she wanted him to stroke her hair. It was something her mother had done when she was still a child, grieving her father's departure. Kagome was silently showing him how to comfort her.



When his fingers began to run gently through her raven tresses, she sighed. "He really said that didn't he?"

"What?"

"That word - wife - in regards to someone besides Mama."

Inuyasha sighed, becoming a little more relaxed. "Yeah...he did." Her eyes closed and he caught the whiff of salt. She was going to cry.

"And she's pregnant. I mean, he didn't say it of course, but I know she is. What else could he have meant by 'delicate condition'?"



More salt and then he felt the first drops of moisture fall on his hakama.



"I hate her."

"Kagome, you don't hate anyone. Not even the people that you should." Like me. His claws gently raked across her scalp has he ran his hands through her hair, lightly massaging the skin. This comfort thing wasn't so difficult. It was kind of nice, really, to be able to be this close with her, her raven strands running through his fingers and her gorgeous scent surrounding him, lulling him into an easy calm. The best thing was that it seemed to be working. She seemed to be relaxing.

"That's not true. I hated Naraku. And I hate this Ikoku."


"I don't like him." Haruki brought a few dishes from the table. Dinner had been cut short after Kagome's departure.

"Don't like who, Haruki?" Keiko asked sounding tired.

"That Inuyasha fellow." Haruki frowned. "Something about him rubs me the wrong way."

Keiko shut off the water and turned to look at her ex-husband. "You don't even know him. You don't know what he's done for your daughter. You don't really know anything, Haruki, so I don't really see how you think that you have the right to pass judgment on anyone in this family or anyone that this family is associated with."



She was usually a cheerfully oblivious person. Her disposition was naturally bright and sunny, but her ex-husband's sudden appearance after ten years had put her into a low, depressed mood.



"Inuyasha adores Kagome and he would never hurt her, nor would he ever allow anyone else to hurt her. He's protected her for two years and he's her best friend." She turned around and started the water running again, continuing her task of washing the dishes. "And I'm sure he knows more about your daughter than you do."

Haruki sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as if to prevent a headache before it started. "I'm not going to get into this right now. Ikoku will be waiting for me. Look, she and I want the kids to come to our apartment for dinner and a visit on Sunday. Is that alright with you?"

"I'll ask the children if they would like to go and have ojii-san call you." She paused in her work, but didn't look at him. "Haruki, I think that it is good that you are back in Tokyo and are willing to try and regain a relationship with our children, but I'm telling you right now to respect them. They don't know you. You have to give them a chance to open up to you and not force them."


Kagome's breathing had become slower and steadier until Inuyasha was certain that she had fallen asleep on his leg. With a resigned sigh, he knew he had to wake her so that she could go to bed and he could go out to the Goshinboku's branches. There was no way her mother would let him sleep in her room - on her bed, with Kagome lying on top of him. He gently shook her shoulder.



"Kagome? You gotta get up, Kagome."

Her eyes fluttered open, she hadn't even realized that she had fallen asleep. "I-Inuyasha? Sorry...I didn't mean..."

He almost chuckled. "Don't worry 'bout it. Just go get ready for bed. I'll be outside."

"You could sleep in Souta's room, you know." She stretched as she sat up and scooted towards the edge of the bed. "You don't have to sleep outside...Unless you're planning to sneak back down the well..." She frowned, a wave of apprehension washing over her. "You weren't were you, Inuyasha?" Please...don't go...I can't deal with this alone.

The hanyou shook his head and stood up. "I was gonna go back for a few minutes just to let the others know what's going on - that we might be a little longer than planned. I'll be back before you get out of the bath."

"But -"

He scowled. "I could stay for hours and you'd still be in the bathroom when I got back. You take the longest baths of anyone I've ever seen!"

The seventeen year old stuck her tongue out at him. "Because they're relaxing! I haven’t exactly been able to indulge myself very often these past few years because of your search for the shards.”

Golden eyes rolled and he shook his head. "What about the hot springs? You stay in there till you're all shriveled up like an old woman."

That's because a certain silver haired someone is sitting in the tree above me and I don't want to get out with you watching. "Ugh, just go."

Once out the window, Inuyasha grinned. The argument had been over something silly, as usual, but at least it was normal. At least she wasn't depressed over her Chichi-ue showing back up or asking him to pet her again. This was the Kagome he could deal with.

Kagome sighed and grabbed her nightclothes off of the dresser and locked herself in the bathroom to drown her problems in a bubble bath and, sure enough, when she emerged and went to her bedroom to climb into bed, Inuyasha sat on the windowsill waiting for her.



"Don't say a word, Inuyasha," she warned when she saw the smug smirk on his face. She started pulling back the bed sheets and made a face at him. "Goodnight."

He smirked and leapt from the sill to the branches of the Goshinboku where he could watch over her during the night. She always kept her bedroom window cracked so he could get in and out, but tonight she kept it wide open - probably so she could hear or see if he tried to leave her.



Like I'd do that, he thought a bit grudgingly. She's terrified. This was his Kagome - she wasn't scared of anything! Why was some ningen man who happened to have been her father scaring her so badly?



Kagome rolled over, unable to get comfortable and sleep as she had when Inuyasha had been petting her hair. She kept dwelling on the one thought that rolled over and over again in her mind.



If Dad stays, I'll either have to tell him about the well or not go back. How can I trust him with something like that? I don't even know him!



She tossed again, grabbing an extra pillow to hug to her.



But if I don't tell him, I'll have to stay in this era and never travel the well again. I can't do that either! I'd never see Inuyasha again...



He had stayed because she asked him and because she needed him. He had comforted her...sure, she'd had to show him how, but he'd done it and hadn't argued! In two years she'd made so much progress with him that there was no way she could throw that away just because her father decided it was time to become part of his children's lives again.

All that work would be for nothing...nothing but the memory of a few kisses.



She had kissed him when he had nearly given his soul to Kaguya, the moon maiden, to become full - impure - youkai. She hadn't been able to think of anything else that would distract him enough to break the concentration on the process of changing. After that he had avoided any overly romantic or sappy situations alone with her and had seemed almost afraid that it would happen again.



But then he seemed to change his mind and had stolen a kiss by the hot springs one night after Sango and Shippou had left her to go back to the camp and she had just finished gathering her things together. He'd come looking for her because she hadn't come back with the others and when he'd found her they had been talking...he mentioned something about his past and, though she remembered what he'd said even now, it was the feel of his lips against hers that she remembered the most.



Then again a few months later, after a battle with one of Naraku's incarnations, she had gotten injured and he had taken care of her. When she opened her eyes, the relief she saw in his face was touching, but she had only a second to ponder it before he kissed her. The other kisses had been because she initiated them.

Finally with something nice in her thoughts, Kagome was able to pull the covers up to her chin, snuggle down, and fall to sleep.