InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Vicissitude ❯ Mama ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter Two

 

Mama

 

`Six hundred and forty-two…six hundred and forty-three…six hundred and forty-four. Strange…That's different then the last time. One…two…three…' Heaving a sigh, she started counting the planks of wood on Kaede's floor for the third time. She couldn't remember spending so much time in one place on this side of the well; sedentary life wasn't something she was used to after spending so long constantly on the move. Even when at home with her family she had constantly been running at full speed trying to visit all of her friends and catching up on her homework—when she did have homework—before InuYasha came to bring her back to the past.

 

“You can't have it! I had it first!”

 

“Oi, it's the last one. Give it here, runt.”

 

`…twelve…thirteen…fourteen…'

 

“If you hadn't eaten them all there would be one for you.”

 

“Why you…”

 

“Osuwari,” she muttered without even glancing at the pair. `Fifteen…sixteen…seventeen…hmmm I wonder how many planks that killed.' She came to the conclusion that it wasn't worth it to count them anymore, since she'd get a different number depending on if InuYasha had broken any in his fall. “Can I go home yet? I have plenty of ramen there. It's just someone wouldn't let me bring it back with me.”

 

“What the hell did you do that for?”

 

Sighing, she briefly glared at the hanyou as he climbed out of the newest indention on the floor before closing her eyes. She could feel the tension in her shoulders, her back, even in her legs but the irritation that overwhelmed her in that moment forced her hands to ball up. Pulling in every ounce of energy she had as she willed her body to relax, she took a deep breath to prevent herself from beating the stuffing out of him. “Can I go home for a little bit?”

 

“Keh, no!”

 

She watched as InuYasha jammed his hands in his haori and pinned her with a look that easily conveyed to her that he thought she was stupid for asking…which only piqued her temper more. Refusing to back down from his perusal, she stubbornly maintained eye contact with the hanyou…as Shippou scampered off with the ramen the two of them had been fighting over. She almost cracked a smile when she first saw his eye twitch, but only almost. She refused to be the one to break first.

 

“Damn it, wench!” he growled, finally breaking eye contact and turning to chase after the kitsune.

 

“I want to go home, InuYasha.”

 

He stopped dead in his tracks, slowly turning to face her. “You ain't going home, Kagome,” he said quietly.

 

“Why not? You said yourself that whatever it was hasn't been back.” Kagome cried, scrambling to her feet. “Why can't I just go home for a little bit? I will come right back, I swear. It's been two weeks of just sitting here; we don't even know what we are waiting for.”

 

“What do you think we're waiting for? Naraku!”

 

“Well…Where is he, InuYasha?”

 

“What?” he growled softly, his anger a palpable thing as she watched him clench his claws and narrow his glare at her. She knew she had probably stepped over the line; the rage in his golden eyes spoke the words that he couldn't.

 

“It's been two weeks, InuYasha. Naraku is nowhere in sight. I think I can go home now.”

 

“No, you can't,” he grasped her arms with his hands, forcing her to look at him. “We don't know what Naraku has done to the well. What if you get through and can't come back?”

 

“We don't know that's he's done anything to it,” she said quietly, finally understanding his resistance, his fear—his eyes could always tell her what she needed to know. She gave him a small smile as he scowled at her, “besides, if Naraku does trap me in my time, it will just make his quest for the complete jewel more difficult. He'll have to wait five hundred years to get the last piece.”

 

InuYasha didn't seem to like that idea, his scowl turned into a snarl.

 

“Or…you can just come with me. You know, make sure nothing happens to me…make sure I get enough ramen to bring back…”

 

His grip on her arms loosened as his face relaxed into his usual irritated scowl, “Fine, wench. I'm going, but we ain't staying long.” Finally releasing her, he stormed out of Kaede's hut leaving Kagome behind. “Get moving before I change my mind!” he yelled over his shoulder.

 

She couldn't hold down the bubble of excitement that welled within her. Not only was he taking her home, she was pretty much convinced the idea of them being apart scared him as much as it did her. She'd always known he needed her by his side, he hadn't ever trusted anyone the way he did her. She was his best friend, although she desired more, it was something she wouldn't ever risk losing. He needed her friendship more then he needed to worry about the feelings she had that he wouldn't ever return. The little niche she had carved in his life was right where she needed to be, by his side as his friend.

 

“Kagome?”

 

Yanked from her musing by the kitsune, she gave him a smile as he came into the hut, still eating the cup of ramen. “InuYasha is going to take me home for a little bit. Kaede is down picking herbs, why don't you go help her for a little bit until Miroku and Sango come back.”

 

“He's taking you home? I didn't think he would ever let you go again.”

 

“Just for a little bit.” She laughed, pushing him out of the hut. “Go find Kaede and stay with her. Miroku and Sango should be back soon, I promise. Let them know where we went, I don't think we'll be long though. If I don't catch up to InuYasha, he's not gonna let me go.”

 

“Hurry back, Kagome,” Shippou said before scampering off in the direction of the fields.

 

“I always do, Shippou,” she said softly. “I always do.”

 

 

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

 

She couldn't help as the small chuckle that swelled inside escaped. Watching her brother trying to teach the hanyou how to play soccer had been entertaining enough, but InuYasha couldn't understand that using your hands wasn't allowed. For his efforts, Souta had a soccer ball that currently rested in four pieces and a hanyou that seemed to have quickly gone from tolerant to irritated…and was sitting in Goshinboku.

 

“I am so proud of you, Kagome.”

 

“Huh?” Kagome turned around, noticing her mother had taken a seat at the kitchen table with a cup of tea in her hand…and another on the spot across from her. “Proud of me? Why?” She asked, walking over to where her mother obviously wanted Kagome to join her, she sat down and waited for the answer.

 

“When you first fell down the well, I didn't know what to think. You suddenly had this `mission' with this strange boy from the other side of the well.” Mama gave her a small smile which Kagome couldn't help thinking that it lit up her face in a way she hadn't ever seen before. “It's always been hard watching you go, but I see you with InuYasha and I know that you are in good hands.”

 

Kagome snorted. “He wasn't always so…well…he wasn't always that way. There's a lot I haven't told you.”

 

Mama's smile faded, “Yes, I clean out all the blood and dirt from your clothes, I refill the first aid kit and I see the exhaustion in both you and InuYasha. I honestly think I am better off not knowing everything that happens.”

 

“Yeah, but that's not what I meant,” Kagome sighed. “He went from trying to kill me, to a jerk, to--”

 

“He tried to kill you?”

 

“Well, only the once…”

 

Mrs. Higurashi laughed. “You left in such a rush last time, forgot to take him his ramen.”

 

“Yeah…that.” Kagome sighed, carefully sipping the hot tea as she wondered how much she should actually tell her mother. “He'd been in kind of a hurry at the time. Strangely, he wanted me to come back with him more then he wanted to take time to get the ramen.”

 

Mrs. Higurashi looked like she wanted to laugh, which Kagome thought was probably due to the fact that InuYasha had practically inhaled three cups of the soup upon arrival. “It must have been important if he willingly left the ramen behind.” Mama sighed, her face taking on a more serious emotion before adding, “I'll admit I was expecting something different when you returned. I haven't seen either of you look so….relaxed. There isn't even a bruise on you.”

 

Kagome fingered the teacup as she focused on the liquid in the cup, unsure of what to say. “Well…” she started, giving a short sigh as she looked up at her mother. “He came because he had a lead on Naraku.”

 

She bit her lip and refocused her attention back on the cup of tea, staring into the amber liquid as she contemplated what to tell her mother. She'd told her mother the basics of what she did but not everything. It was one thing to know your daughter put her life in danger…it was another to know exactly how much danger and how often.

 

“Usually we have to go searching for clues as to his whereabouts,” Kagome began, tearing her eyes away from the tea, forcing herself to look at her mother. “Apparently there were some signs around the village that he'd been there. We spent the last two weeks in the village waiting to see if he would reappear.”

 

Mama looked a little confused by her answer, Kagome could tell there was a question on the tip of her tongue but not sure if she would ask it or not. “You were on the other side of the well, in the village, this whole time?”

 

`Ahh…yeah that seems strange. I always come home when we are in the village…' Kagome sighed, knowing she should tell her mother something…just in case. “Alright, Naraku wasn't in the village, he was outside it…investigating something.”

 

“Oh…”

 

`She doesn't get it…' Kagome bit her lip, something inside her refused to let her say the words out loud, as if voicing it would make every fear come to life. She couldn't seem to find the right words, how to put it in a way that Mama could understand without actually having to come out and tell her. “Something he could probably tell was of great interest to InuYasha and I, and he was probably curious as to why…”

 

“Oh…Oh!” Kagome watched the emotions flit over Mama's face: confusion…comprehension…and finally fear. Not saying a word, Mama stood up from her chair and slowly walked to the window, the room had taken on an aura of melancholy that was almost stifling as her mother watched Souta and InuYasha from the kitchen window. “It's been three years already, hasn't it? You've lived two lives…never really able to adapt to either of them completely. I've trusted InuYasha to always bring you back to me…and I've trusted that the choices you've made in your life have been the right ones for you. You haven't ever let me down and I don't think you ever will.” The sad smile that graced Mama's face as she stared outside tugged at something deep within Kagome, the sudden lump that swelled within her throat constricted her breathing; she forced herself to look away from the scene. “That's why I'm proud of you.”

 

The room was silent as Kagome stared at her fingers, gripping the teacup in her hands. As usual, Mama had known just what to say to make Kagome feel better about the whole situation...all without actually giving her any answers. Biting her lip, she blinked several times, willing the sudden tears that had formed in her eyes to clear. Turning back to the window, she said, “Thank you…Mama?”

 

Her mother was gone.

 

In her round-about way, Mama had given her blessing by accepting whatever decision Kagome needed to make. She trusted Kagome's judgment and if it came down to it; had confidence that whatever choice she made would be the right one.

 

Standing up, she gathered the dishes from the table and emptied them in the sink before rinsing them out. Taking a dishtowel from a drawer, she took a moment to dry the china and put them away in the cupboard. Hanging the towel up to dry, she then wandered back over to the window and watched as Mama tried to get Souta away from InuYasha. `He keeps watching what Souta is doing. It's almost like he enjoys the attention, but doesn't want anyone to know it.' Souta finally listened to Mrs. Higurashi's plea and left the hanyou alone in the tree.

 

She heard the door shut as Mama came back inside, but she remained alone in the kitchen discerning the light footfalls on the steps behind her. Refocusing on the scene in front of her, she pressed her hands against the glass as InuYasha slowly emerged from within the safety of Goshinboku as Souta pulled out various balls from within the shed. Curiosity got the best of the hanyou as a baseball rolled across the ground before stopping when it bounced off the trunk of the tree. He leapt to the ground, eyeing the foreign object with interest before crouching down and sniffing it.

 

Kagome had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing; even inside she wasn't positive his hanyou hearing wouldn't be able to pick up her amusement. If he caught wind of others observing his actions, he'd be back in the tree before she could say `osuwari'. His stubbornness had developed to almost legendary status during the last three years, at this point if he returned to the confines of the Goshinboku; it would take all night to get him out.

 

He slowly reached out and prodded it with a finger, unsure about what he should do with it. Kagome smiled, his wariness of things in her time entertained her more then it probably should…but seeing the hanyou who took on dangerous youkai without giving a second thought—distrustful of a baseball. Well, who wouldn't find it funny?

 

“Your backpack is packed and ready to go, Kagome.”

 

Turning to her mother, she couldn't help but be surprised. She always packed her own bag…Mama had always done more then enough for them by providing food and first aid supplies. “Oh? Thanks.” She glanced outside just in time to watch Souta throw the baseball at InuYasha, who dodged it causing it to slam into the side of the well house. Both boys just stood there watching as it splintered into the side, knocking several wood planks loose. “Yeah, I suppose it's time to head back.”

 

Mama just smiled, handing Kagome her backpack.

 

They got outside just in time to watch Souta throw another baseball at the hanyou. Kagome groaned as InuYasha yanked Tetsusaiga out of it's sheath, lifting the sword high above his head before slamming it into the ground with a shout of `Kaze no Kizu'. When the debris cleared, the ball was gone…as well as a large section of Mama's flower garden.

 

“Oh dear.” Mama sighed.

 

“That was awesome, Inu-nii-chan! Let's do it again!”

 

“Keh.”

 

“What? No! InuYasha, don't you dare!” Kagome growled, storming over to him as she gave him a look that he would easily recognize as saying `you're entering osuwari territory.' “We are going back, now.”

 

He sheathed the sword with a disappointed sigh, before taking the backpack from her. “Fine, let's go wench,” he growled, disappearing into the well house.

 

“Bye, Mama.” She said chasing after the hanyou. “Bye Souta, be good for Mama. Say goodbye to Grandpa for me.”

 

“I love you, Kagome. Be careful.”

 

Her mother's soft words stopped her dead in her tracks, placing a hand on the side of the well house as she turned to face Mama. The sadness emitting from her mother overwhelmed Kagome, another lump swelled within her throat as they stared at each other. “I love you too, Mama.”

 

“Make sure he takes care of you.”

 

“You're acting like she's never coming back!” Souta complained, “It's not like she won't be back for more ramen in a week or so.”

 

“I'll be back, even if it's just for ramen.” Kagome laughed, as a clawed hand grabbed her hand and pulled her into the well house. “Bye!”

 

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

 

He shrugged his shoulders, surprised at how quickly the tension left his body when they reached this side of the well. It was as if it melted off of him as soon as he placed Kagome on the surrounding grass, he hadn't realized how keyed up he'd been all afternoon. He'd done his best to put the irrational feeling that Kagome shouldn't be going home behind him, but it had taken all he had to stop himself from throwing her over his shoulder and returning her to the past.

 

Three years she'd been here, and every year it had become harder and harder to convince himself that she didn't belong here…her home was in the future with her family. When everything was over and done with, that's where she would return to.

 

“Wow…I am actually surprised we made it.”

 

`What?' His mouth dropped as he glared at Kagome. “You didn't think we'd make it?”

 

She adjusted the backpack on her shoulders, before turning and giving him a smile. “Naraku has been around the well, InuYasha. We never would have known if he'd done something or not if we hadn't gone.”

 

`She…she was worried…' he glared at her back as she walked away. “Damn it, Kagome!”

 

“What?” She looked over her shoulder and smiled. “We made it back just fine. I wouldn't worry about it anymore.”

 

As much as he wanted to argue with her, he knew he couldn't since he was as relieved that the well remained unharmed as she was. To be honest, it wasn't something he would be able to put at the back of his mind though. The truth was, Naraku had been there and for some reason had found something of interest to him in the well, which in itself was a bad omen.

 

Following the path that had become well worn with use during the last three years, they headed for the village. He stayed a few lengths behind her, keeping an eye on their surroundings as they walked. He could sense one youkai nearby and approaching quickly, which didn't surprise him at all. Neither did it surprise him when the youkai launched itself into Kagome's unsuspecting arms.

 

“Shippou!” She laughed.

 

“You said Miroku and Sango would be back soon. They're not back yet.”

 

“They aren't?” Kagome looked over her shoulder back at him; InuYasha could see the worry in her eyes. “I wonder what is taking them so long?”

 

“Miroku probably found some girls to hit on.” InuYasha snorted, “Sango wouldn't want to drag his ass home after knocking the crap outta him. She's waiting for him to regain consciousness, so he can walk himself.”

 

She bit her lip, as if she was trying not to laugh. She finally gave in as her laughter echoed through the forest, something he never tired of. “Stop it. He's not that bad—anymore.”

 

“Keh, you weren't with him on rounds last time.”

 

“But he wouldn't do that with Sango.”

 

“I dunno…I think he likes the pain.”

 

“I think InuYasha is right.” Shippou chimed in, pulling Kagome's backpack from her shoulders. As soon as she put it down, he ripped into it, digging through the contents.

 

“Oi! What are you doing, runt?”

 

“Looking for Pocky…lollypops…candy…” He pulled out a large book. “Hey Kagome…What's this?”

 

“Huh?” She dropped to the ground next to the kitsune. She took the book from Shippou and opened it. “Oh…Mama must have put this in…” She trailed off as she opened it, her mouth dropping in shock. A small piece of paper fell from within and fluttered to the ground.

 

The smell of the salt from her tears assaulted him as she stared at several of the pages, he glared at the book…instantly hating something that would make her so upset. She picked up the paper from the ground and read the contents; a single tear streamed down her face before she put it down and flipped through several more pages of the book.

 

InuYasha grabbed the paper from the ground and scanned it, looking for what would have upset her so much. There wasn't much written on the paper, `Just in case you need it.' He growled crumpling the paper in his fist; he had no idea what would have upset her from that.

 

“What is it, Kagome?” Shippou asked, watching her with a hint of fear.

 

“It's a photo album. Mama thought I might like to have it.” She closed it before wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “We should get back to Kaede's. I am sure Miroku and Sango will be back any moment.”

 

“Fine, we'd be there if you would stop blubbering.” InuYasha growled, grabbing her backpack and storming off toward the village. He looked over his shoulder at Kagome as she scrambled to her feet. “Get to moving, wench.”

 

She pressed the book tightly to her chest and glared at him. “You are such a jerk.”

 

“Hey, I smell Miroku and Sango,” Shippou said, taking off past InuYasha toward the village.

 

“Wait up, InuYasha.” Kagome cried, jogging to catch up with him. “I wonder what took them so long.”

 

He shrugged, wondering the same thing himself. They had been gone for most of the day, which wasn't normal at all. “I guess we'll find out.” Both Miroku and Sango were waiting outside of the hut talking with Shippou when they got there.

 

“I think we've got a lead.” Miroku said with a smile.

 

“There was word of several major youkai attacks in a town just north of here. It's not much…but it's the only lead we've had in awhile.” Sango added.

 

“Do you think it's worth checking out, InuYasha?” Kagome asked, taking her backpack from him.

 

“I don't see why not; nothing else to go off of right now.”

 

“Let me put this somewhere safe before we go.” Kagome said, rushing inside Kaede's hut to put the photo album away.

 

“Like we said, it's not a big lead but it is something.” Miroku said, “It's the first real lead we've had since…well…”

 

“I know,” InuYasha growled, turning to the hut before yelling, “Let's go, wench!”

 

Kagome skittered from the hut, muttering “I'm coming…I'm coming…”

 

Waiting until she was within arms reach, he reached out and dragged her onto his back with practiced ease. As she wrapped her arms around his neck and tightened her legs around his hips, he couldn't help thinking—and not for the first time, that this way of traveling was his favorite. He'd take his opportunities while he could, knowing that when it was all over…she wouldn't be here any longer.

 

Watching as Miroku, Sango and Shippou all climbed up on Kirara, he took a moment to thank another unexpected change that had arisen in the past year—Shippou was too big to ride with the two of them anymore.

 

He had her all to himself.

 

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

 

A/N

Wow...everyone was worried about Naraku being at the well. Apparently nothing happened to it though, InuYasha and Kagome managed to get back and forth with no problems. Now everything is back to normal, on the road again…

 

Luckily I didn't get sued last chapter…I don't think I left a disclaimer!!

 

Here it is!

 

I do not own InuYasha or the characters affiliated with the Manga and Anime. They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi…I am just `borrowing' them for my own nefarious deeds. I own nothing, suing me won't help anyone.

Sari-15