InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ What the Future Has to Bring ❯ A Mother's Approval ( Chapter 25 )

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

Disclaimer: I do not now, nor have I ever, owned any part of Inuyasha or his world. This is a work of fanfiction made entirely for the fans of Inuyasha to enjoy. This story is based off of Inuyasha characters that I do not own.

This is also a work of fiction. Any simularities to any real person, dead or alive, is completely coincidental.





What The Future Has to Bring
by: Tassana Burrfoot


Chapter Twenty-Five: A Mother's Approval


Kagome stood at the kitchen sink washing dishes from breakfast. It was Monday morning and pretty much everyone was gone. Jaken was in the living room sweeping the rug, while Grandpa was busy in the shrine.

Every now and then, Kagome would touch the healing wound at her neck. Did that really happen? she would ask herself before her fingers would run along the teeth marks.

It was an odd sort of feeling. The wound still hurt a little. Apparently, when you bite someone, you bruise them as well. Either that, or Kagome was an easier bruiser, but she doubted that was the case. But, the pain was nothing compared to the idea behind the wound.

Sesshomaru had claimed her. He had marked her with his bite. And she had done the same to him. They were now closer then she had ever been with a guy.

She still wasn't even sure she could call him a guy. Yes, he was a male. And he had very distinct masculine features. But, he was a demon. She wasn't sure what demons considered the male part of their species.

Kagome giggled. Of course they considered them guys, at the very least. She had heard Inuyasha call Koga a guy many times. And Shippo was constantly called a boy. Not to mention all the other guy demons she and her friends had fought or befriended.

She heard her boyfriend's retainer in the living room. She knew he was mumbling about some silly nonsense. Probably about her. The toad demon wasn't very fond of her, but she knew how much he cared about his lord. With that thought, she knew the toad would never harm her, for to do so would be to insult Sesshomaru. And the toad would never do that.

She began placing the clean dishes in the cabinet. She heard her mind tumble over the word "boyfriend." Could Sesshomaru be considered her boyfriend? Had they only been making love, she assumed the term would've been appropriate. But now? Now that he's marked her? She wasn't sure what he was now.

He had called her his mate. Was that what he was to her? Her mate? She didn't really know what it meant to be someone's mate. Aside from the obvious. She knew what the term meant and what it implied. Other then that, she had no clue.

If only she had Kaede. She hadn't realized how much she missed the old miko until she needed her. Was that selfish? To only miss someone when you need them? She shuddered at that thought. How could she be so selfish?

And then she realized, she didn't just miss the elder priestess because she needed her. She missed her because Kaede was her friend.

She missed Koga and his two lackeys as well. She could almost hear the wolf prince proclaiming his undying love to her. She wondered briefly what he would say now that she had a "mate." He would be upset, no doubt. But, he was also her friend.

"Kagome?" came the voice of her mother.

The young miko turned around and blushed as she watched her mother enter the kitchen. "Oh, hi, Mom. I didn't hear you come in," she apologized.

Mrs. Higurashi gave a soft chuckle, "I wouldn't assume so. Jaken has been using the vaccuum in the living room again."

"Is that what that noise is?" the girl asked, peeking out of the kitchen. She saw the small toad struggling and suppressed a laugh.

"Kagome, dear," her mother said softly, while taking a seat at the table. "May we talk for a moment?"

Kagome looked at her mother curiously. She set the dish towel down and joined her mother at the table. Kagome knew what it was her mother wanted to talk about. For a moment, they didn't say anything to one another.

Her mother gazed up at her and offered her a soft smile. "You know, when I was your age, there was this guy I had a huge crush on. He was in my homeroom class and everyday I would just stare at him," she told her.

Kagome smiled. "I'm guessing he was really cute?"

Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "He was the most handsome creature I had ever met. And so kind. He would offer help to anyone who needed it, no matter who they were."

"So, what happened?" the girl questioned, curiousity peeking.

"I married him," the older woman responded. "Together, we had two beautiful children. And we were happy for a while."

Kagome nodded. She didn't remember much about her father, but she remembered enough. He had been a handsome man. And he loved his family more then anything else in the world. Her mother didn't have to finish the story, for Kagome already knew the outcome. She looked up at her mother as the older woman began speaking again.

"I do not know much about Inuyasha's older brother, but I do know you. The idea that you love him tells me all I will ever need to know about him," her mother confessed. "But, I do worry."

"You worry? About what?" Kagome asked, tilting her head a little.

"About your happiness," her mother admitted. "About your future. Kagome, I have never stood in the way of you going into the past. In fact, I think it's wonderful that you get to see the way Japan once was. And that you've made friends there is no surprise to me. I am proud of you for all the things you do there. All the people you help."

Kagome smiled, "I guess Sango and Miroku have told you a lot?"

"And Inuyasha as well," her mother said. "I know you and him are having problems, but he still cares about you. He might even love you, though I know he would never come between you and his brother."

Kagome sighed, "I loved him, too, Momma. Everyday I prayed he and I would be together."

"What changed?"

Kagome could feel the tears in her eyes as she spoke, "He never could let go of Kikyo. He still blames himself for her death. He doesn't want to love anyone else but her."

Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "And you cannot wait for him forever. But, tell me, Kagome, would you have had to wait forever?"

Kagome shrugged, "I honestly don't know. Kikyo is not going to let him go. Not if she doesn't have to. And Inuyasha doesn't want her to. He wants her to hold on because it makes it easier for him to hold on."

"Kikyo is the dead priestess you told me about, correct?" her mother asked. When she recieved a nod, she continued, "I have heard of the dead who walk the earth. It is a cursed existance. One which will never bring happiness because they will forever be dead. I somehow doubt Kikyo would want to continue being in such a state."

Kagome shook her head. "No," she agreed, "she doesn't. She's staying until Inuyasha goes with her. And Inuyasha wants to go with her. He wants to be with her."

Mrs. Higurashi thought about this for a moment. "I know where he is coming from. When your father died, I wanted to leave this world. I wanted to be with him, to join him in the afterlife. Everywhere I looked, I saw him. Everything reminded me of him, especially you and Souta. I cannot begin to tell you how many nights I cried myself to sleep because I missed him so much."

Kagome nodded as she looked down at her hands. She remembered when her father died. It had been the saddest thing to ever have happened to her.

"As bad as that was, though, I can only imagine how hard it must have been to Inuyasha. For fifty years, he was stuck to a tree. And he didn't even know the woman he loved was dead," her mother whispered.

Kagome gasped softly. "I know. It was really hard for him. It took a lot to convince him that I wasn't Kikyo."

Mrs. Higurashi nodded and looked at her daughter. She waited for her daughter to make eye contact before she continued, "Can you imagine how he must have felt? If what you told me is correct, you are a carbon copy of the woman he once loved. While the two of you are different, you look the same. Possibly even smell the same. And you share the same soul. My dearest, try not to judge Inuyasha. He cannot help what has happened to him."

Kagome felt tears glistening in her eyes and knew they would fall soon.

"He was betrayed. He thought he was betrayed by the woman he loved. When he found out that she hadn't betrayed him at all, he wasn't even able to make amends," Mrs. Higurashi told her. "All that is left of the woman he once loved is a shell and a reincarnation. The shell hates him. Despises him. Why? Because she is dead. The woman does not exist anymore in this world. Only her anger does."

Slowly, the tears began to trickle. Kagome knew all of this already, but there was something to hearing it from her mother. It just made it harder to bare.

"It's not that he doesn't want to let go, my dear," Mrs. Higurashi whispered. "It's that he can't. He will always hope that Kikyo will be restored to him. Or, at least, the woman will be put to rest. Until she is in peace, he will not be able to live with himself."

"Because he believes it's his fault," Kagome finished.

Her mother smiled and looked at the wall. "I had a dog once when I was a little girl. She was a beautiful creature with a large fluffy body. She was a golden retriever. I loved that dog so much, and she loved me. Every day I would come home from school and she was there, waiting for me. She protected me from harm and was my friend when no one else would be."

Kagome smiled. "Most dogs are like that."

Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "Yes, they are. That's the beauty of the dog. Of all the creatures created, the dog is the most loyal to people. You can always count on them to be there. To protect you. To play with you when you are lonely and to cuddle with you when you are sad. This is why many people call the dog 'man's best friend.'"

"I think I know where you are going with this," Kagome said. "Inuyasha is part dog demon. Because of this, he feels the need to protect those he cares about. But, he wasn't able to protect Kikyo. He couldn't get to her in time. He didn't even realize she was in trouble."

"One day, I had come home from school and tripped on the stair," Mrs. Higurashi told her daughter. "I was in tears from the pain. But, it was my dog who was hurt the most. It wasn't because I stepped on her or fell on her, it was because she hadn't been able to protect me from getting hurt. She didn't leave my side for a very long time after that."

Kagome nodded. "I understand, Momma," she sighed. "I love Inuyasha. He's always been there for me. Always protected me from harm."

"It is right that you should love him, my dear," her mother assured her. "Just as you should love all your friends. And all people. The world is so full of hate and anger and so little love. It is important that we love, for through love, all things are possible. It is the strongest force in the world, the universe."

"That is what Kaede told me. I believe her and I believe you. I love all my friends. And why shouldn't I? They've always been the best a girl could ask for," Kagome commented.

Mrs. Higurashi nodded. She became serious once more. "The love you feel for Sesshomaru differs then what you feel for your friends, though."

Kagome took a deep breath. She had been waiting for this. "Yes, Momma. It does. I love Sesshomaru more then I ever thought possible. He is everything I could ever have dreamed of and more," she said honestly.

"Be careful, my love. Just remember, he is from the past. While you can go to the past and do what it is you are meant to do, you are not meant to live in the past. Living in the past is dangerous and can only lead to heartache."

"Inuyasha is from the past as well," Kagome accussed, "yet, you never had a problem with me loving him."

"It isn't just that, dear," Mrs. Higurashi explained. "I worry for you. Sesshomaru is a demon. A full blooded demon as well. Long after your death, he will still be alive. He will, no doubt, look just as he does now. Sesshomaru still has centuries, possibly even millenia to live. You, you only have a few years. Not even one century."

Kagome closed her eyes. "I would rather live one lifetime with Sesshomaru, then millions without him."

"But... does he feel the same?"