A/N: To any of you who may be upset at me for starting another story rather than updating my others, please be patient! I plan to finish all of my stories, but sometimes a story just has to be written before it drives you nuts with the possibilities playing out in your mind….
Oh and as a disclaimer, I don't pretend to fluently speak or understand Japanese. I think peppering the story with certain commonly-used phrases adds a certain charm. I've tried to be as accurate with words and phrases as I can, but if you find an error, please feel free to email me with corrections so that I can fix them!
Title: To
Live In The Moment
Author:
Snowviolet
Category:
Romance and Adventure, Crossover of Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho,
Pairing:
Kagome/Kurama
Rating:
For the most part I will rate this PG-13 for language. There will
most likely be sexual innuendo or blatant love scenes at some point,
but they will be clearly labeled accordingly.
Disclaimer:
Blah blah, not mine. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery.
It worked.
She opened her eyes and gazed down at the compact bundle of fur and energy that was clinging to her neck with eyes still closed. "We've arrived, sweetie."
He blinked widely in excitement, his deep green eyes sparkling at the news. "We really made it! Are you sure we're there?"
Kagome gazed up at the shadowy roof of the well house and the ladder that led up the wall. "If I can smell Mama's famous cinnamon doughnuts, I should think a youkai with superior senses could too!" She tickled his ribs playfully, earning a squeal of laughter in response. "Come on, slowpoke! If we hurry we can get to the doughnuts before Souta and Ojiisan eat them all."
Shippou scampered up the ladder with his usual exuberance, and Kagome followed at a more careful pace as she tried to balance the extra bags that she didn't usually carry on her return trips. Lifting herself over the lip of the well she found the kitsune looking apprehensively at the door to the shrine grounds, and smiled softly in understanding.
He was so brave, her little Shippou. He had trembled as they had leapt into the unknown, but he had chosen to at least attempt the voyage through time. She was learning that youkai really did age at a slower pace that humans. Even though she had been traveling with her friends for three years now, but surprisingly Shippou hadn't changed at all. He hadn't grown and he still appeared to be about four years old, as playful and mischievous as ever.
The only thing that had grown over the years was their bond, and she couldn't imagine what life was like before he had come into her life. She was his mother in every way that mattered, and it was that which had prompted her to take such a drastic measure to protect him. Now if only she could explain the situation to her own mother…
Kagome slid the door open and stepped into the bright spring morning, absorbing the familiar sounds and smells of the shrine once again. It wasn't as pristine and untouched as the Sengoku Jidai, but there was still beauty to be found in the surroundings. The Tokyo skyline shimmered behind the early haze of morning and a gentle breeze rustled the first buds of spring near the house. A small hand slipping into her own brought her back from her reverie, and she smiled down at the obviously anxious child, squeezing his hand in comfort.
"You know, I have a special tradition for when I return home from the Sengoku Jidai." She led him across the cobblestones of the well-kept courtyard as Shippou arched his ears forward in curiousity. "I always thank an old friend for watching over me and returning me home." Kagome stopped at the base of the Goshinboku and the kitsune perked at the familiar presence of the ages-old tree. Reaching across the small fence he placed his palm against the rough bark of the trunk, calming almost instantly. Kagome touched the trunk herself and felt the ancient tree pulse in recognition, lending her an intangible strength that always seemed to soothe her.
"I'm afraid, Kagome." Shippou said in a small voice. "What if your Mama doesn't like kitsunes? What if your family doesn't want me to stay?" He looked up at her with worried eyes. "You won't make me stay if they don't want me, will you?"
"Shippou, my mother loves little boys so much that I'm going to have a hard time keeping her from spoiling you rotten." She grinned at the idea of her mother tottering home under the burden of new clothes and toys for her son. "My father died when I was very young also, so Mama has always regretted the fact she wasn't able to have more children."
Shippou traced the edge of the fence with his fingers as he pondered her response. "But what about your brother and grandpa?" He leaned forward and said in a conspiratorial voice, "Inuyasha said the old man tried to purify him because he was a hanyou!"
Kagome let out a tinkle of laughter at the memory of her grandfather throwing ofudas at the hanyou when they had first met. "Souta has always wanted a little brother to play with, and I'll let you in on a little secret about grandpa…" She leaned forward and whispered, "Ojiisan is more of a softie than Mama, if that's even possible." Kagome winked and the kitsune's demeanor relaxed a bit.
With his fears eased, Shippou followed Kagome more confidently towards the back door of the house. As she slid open the door to the kitchen she announced, "Tadaima!", slipping on a pair of slippers.
"Happy birthday, dear." Kagome's mother replied cheerfully as she stepped around the corner from the living room, a vase full of bright blue flowers in front of her that obstructed her view. "These just arrived from that nice young man Hojou, aren't they beautiful?" Kagome tried to get a word in but wasn't quick enough as her mother continued.
"You just missed Grandpa and Souta." Mama carefully placed the overflowing vase onto the kitchen table and tugged at a couple of stems to even out the arrangement. "His class is having show-and-tell today and he was supposed to bring in something very old, so of course he decided to bring Grandpa…"
Mama blinked as she turned to give her daughter a hug, gazing down at the kitsune who was hiding behind her legs. "Well hello there, little one." Taking in the bushy red tail and emotive ears she suddenly squealed with a girlish delight. "You must be Shippou! Oh, Kagome has told me so much about you, come and give me a hug!"
Mama knelt to the ground and swept the nervous child into her arms before he could protest, squeezing him in a gentle if enthusiastic embrace. She looked questioningly up at her daughter with worry on her face. Not now, she mouthed, and Mama nodded slowly.
Shippou sniffed delicately at her hair and his face broke into a smile. "Kagome, your mama smells like cookies!"
Mama chuckled and tapped the tip of his nose playfully. "Its probably because I was cooking donuts for breakfast. I even managed to save some for us." She rolled her eyes upwards. "I had to hide the last batch in the oven. You should have seen the war that went on between Grandpa and Souta for the last doughnut."
Shippou giggled at her playful tone and allowed her to lead him to the table where she placed a phone book upon one of the chairs so that he was able to reach the surface. Kagome poured a large glass of milk for him while her mother pulled a large pan of homemade doughnuts from the oven, still gooey and covered in sugar and cinnamon.
"Tea, dear?" Mama asked as she pulled down a couple of cups from the cupboard.
"Yes, please. I'd love a cup." Kagome watched Shippou shovel the sticky creations into his mouth at record speed and smiled at how he was warming to her mother. "Its too bad we missed Souta and Grandpa, but it is a school day after all."
"Don't worry, they'll be home early for your birthday party. They've been working on some sort of surprise for you the last couple of weeks." Mama shook her head with a little smile. "Very top secret, whatever it is."
Mama sat the small porcelain teapot covered in bright red poppies on the table and settled into a seat of her own just as the small kitsune started to groan from doughnut overdose. "I guess my cooking passes muster?" She tickled the kitsune beneath his chin teasingly.
"Those were great! Do you eat those every morning? Can we have those tomorrow morning too?" Shippou bounced excitedly at the prospect of daily doughnuts, his momentary discomfort already forgotten.
Mama glanced at her daughter with a questioning look but gave the little boy a gentle smile. "We'll have to see about that, little one." She closely examined the haggard and slightly-undernourished appearance of her daughter and her companion with a worried frown. "Although it looks as though you both could use a few good meals after whatever you have been through…"
Kagome shook her head slightly, cutting off any questions her mother wanted to ask. "Shippou, let's see if there are any cartoons on TV. I think you're really going to like them a lot." She stood and wet the edge of a kitchen towel at the sink, cleaning off his face and hands gently.
Excited at seeing more of Kagome's world he eagerly followed her into the living room, and gasped as she turned on the TV, jumping through the channels to find one that had some resemblence of educational value. Luckily most of the shows were aimed at the preschool crowd at this time of morning, and Shippou plopped down onto the plump cushions of the couch, gazing at the magical box with its moving pictures in awe.
"Mama and I will be in the kitchen if you need anything, sweetie. We just need to talk about a few things." Kagome chuckled as Shippou barely nodded in response, too engrossed in the cartoon.
"I hope I haven't created a couch potato." Kagome commented as she walked back into the kitchen. "We'll have to go to the park later to work off some of that sugar and mischief he's always so good at finding."
Mama smiled in understanding. "You think Souta is a handful now but when you were a little girl you used to have us running in circles with your games." She sipped at her teacup. "And as nice as going to the park sounds, is that even possible?...With Inuyasha we're able to put a cap on him to hide his ears, but Shippou has some rather obvious features that are hard to hide." Kagome hesitated in replying, biting at her lip nervously.
"What is going on, dear? You look as though you haven't slept in a week, and I know you haven't been eating enough! Your clothes are practically hanging off of you!" She cupped her daughter's face with concern. "There's no reason for you to starve, you can always come back through the well for more food!"
Sighing tiredly, Kagome sipped at her tea, savoring the warmth of the hot liquid as it went down. "Its very complicated, Mama. We've been on the run for the last month nonstop, jumping from battle to battle, and barely reaching the shards before Naraku."
She rubbed gently at her temples, a practiced movement that belied her mere eighteen years of life. "Two days ago, we collected the last shard in play, the very last one that was not in Naraku's or our own possession." She gazed directly into her mother's eyes. "I don't say this to scare or worry you, but it was a bloody battle. Sango and Miroku almost didn't make it." Kagome glanced towards the living room and her grip tightened on her teacup so that her fingers turned white from the pressure.
"Naraku knew that we have all honed our skills as a team. Inuyasha and Sango are our melee fighters, and Miroku and I fight from a missile range watching each other's backs. We've been doing it for so long that its second nature, we thought we had worked out any vulnerabilities….We thought wrong." Kagome shivered at the memory, warming her fingers against the cup cradled in her hands.
"Naraku waited until he had us all engaged and then he suddenly attacked Shippou. If Miroku had been a moment later in noticing his attack…I don't want to think about what would have happened."
She gazed soberly at the table. " He threw himself in front of Shippou and took the blow meant for him. When Sango rushed to protect them both, she was thrown from Kirara by the attack also."
Mama brushed her hand over her daughter's hair gently, comforting her as best she could. "But you all managed to survive, right? That is what matters, Kagome."
"I couldn't leave him in the village with Kaede because Naraku has kidnapped children before to use against his enemies." Kagome continued on miserably. "Not to mention the extra risk it would bring the village."
She sat silently for a moment, staring at the delicate brush strokes upon the teapot in their scarlets and golds. "I have travelled the Sengoku Jidai for exactly three years today, Mama. Shippou is more than an orphaned child to me. He is my son."
Her eyes filled up with tears as she pleaded with her mother. "I can't put him at risk anymore. I can only imagine what it is like for you to watch me leave time after time, but I am not an innocent child. I know the risks and I choose to face them. He has no place in this violent struggle for the jewel."
"So I discussed…no, I bullied the others into allowing me to try and take him home this time." She smiled crookedly. "Strangely enough Inuyasha was the only one who supported my decision. The others were worried that he wouldn't have any protection over here, but Inuyasha knows that the shrine grounds are protected by a barrier. He has to cross it every time he ventures into public."
"We agreed that if I could bring him through the well, I would ask if you would watch over him until the last battle is fought." She grew silent then, waiting for her mother's response.
"As though I would allow you to bring that child back into such a dangerous situation!" Mama declared with a fierce protectiveness in her voice. "Of course he will stay with us! That you would even think for a moment I would say no, young lady…well he's staying and that is final!"
Softening her fierce look she then smiled at her daughter. "You have grown into such a strong woman, Kagome. I am able to watch you leave each time because I am proud of who you are, and confident you will make the right choices in those difficult, dangerous times." She tucked an errant curl behind Kagome's ear. "By making this choice you've only proven that maturity to me."
Kagome threw her arms around her mother's neck and cried with relief. "Oh Mama, I didn't know what else to do!"
Mama rubbed her back soothingly as she had done when she was a small child and squeezed her tighter. "You may be a strong woman, but you will always be my baby, dear. You can always count on mothers to listen and comfort you when you feel the need to cry." She pulled back a bit and said teasingly. "You must be coming to realize that slowly with that grandson of mine."
Glancing back towards the living room she smiled and nodded in agreement, feeling the special bond only a mother has with her child. "No matter what happens, I plan to keep him at my side, Mama."
"You have my full support dear, but how will…?" Mama trailed off uncertain of how to put it delicately.
"..How will we keep the world from seeing him as a youkai?" Kagome finished for her. "And he is a full-blooded kitsune youkai. Not to sound derogatory, but it makes him a bit more of a handful than even Inuyasha at times."
"Kaede and I have been working on a charm that will disguise his youkai features. It depends a bit on my magic, and a bit on his own concentration, but I am confident in his ability to blend in." She smiled with motherly pride. "Kitsune's are masters of illusion, and Shippou is quite talented for his age. Which is another thing we will have to take care about. Youkai age much slower than humans. Shippou won't be mature enough for primary school for another five years or so. I may have to alter the charm so that he appears older so that he will fit in, also." She smiled sheepishly as she realized she had been babbling with relief.
"That's enough of motherly tactics for breakfast." Mama said in mock-sternness. "In case you had forgotten, it's your birthday! March upstairs and soak in the bath for at least an hour. Minimum!" She pointed at the stairs with a commanding air about her.
Shippou poked his head around the corner at that moment. "Is everything ok?" He glanced worriedly at Kagome, who stuck out her tongue at her mother. "Yes, sweetie. I'm just going to clean up a bit so if you could just…"
Mama interjected. "…Shippou and I will be just fine for an hour or so on our own. I need some private time to get to know my grandson, after all." She gently shoved Kagome in the direction of the stairs, and scooped up Shippou as happy tears glossed his eyes.
"We're really going to be a family?"
Mama kissed him on the nose and smiled gently at the kitsune in her arms. "We already are, little one."