(:)(A)(:)
Every Night Has Its
Dawn
Chapter #9
(:)(A)(:)
"What are we looking for again?" He asked, bored out of his mind. They had been there since eleven that morning - four hours ago - so Kagome could personally tell her boss that she would be unable to work for him any longer. The old business man had taken it better than expected, though it was obvious by his crestfallen face that he wasn't at all happy about the arrangement. But he graciously let her go, even promising not to mention her lack of two weeks notice to any of her future employers.
She picked up a little red sweater and ran a finger over the embroidered cartoon Dalmatian on the front, smiling. "Baby clothes." She gave a generous look at the price tag and blanched, immediately putting the apparel back on the rack. "Affordable baby clothes."
Yusuke frowned and shook his head. "Good luck with that."
Kagome sighed, setting another sweater back on the rack - this one blue. "You're probably right," she admitted, though migrated to a new rack any way. "But there has to be something I can afford."
He let the conversation die for a while, before he saw her pick up another sweater. "Why are you looking at winter clothes any way? Aren't you due in June?"
Her shoulders sagged and she put the little coat back. Still too expensive. " I thought I was . . . but with the baby growing so fast I don't honestly know any more."
"Oh," he scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "I forgot about that."
She laughed freely, giving him a friendly slap on the arm. "Leave it to you and Inuyasha to forget details like that." She let her eyes roam across the rest of the store, and spotted a lovely wooden crib at the far end. She frowned; she hadn't even thought about a crib . . . perhaps her mother still had her old one? She turned to Yusuke hopefully. "What are the chances that we could stop by the shrine before going home?" she asked, hands clasped in the front of her in a pleading gesture. "Please?"
He gave her a startled glance, surprised at how easily she called Genkai's place 'home'. Maybe it was because of that whole shikon deal in the past - she had to have traveled a lot. Maybe she found home to be wherever place she slept at the moment. How strange. He would have taken her as a 'home is where the heart is' type of person. And Genkai's place definitely wasn't any where near where her heart was. From what he'd heard, such a place could only be the shrine her family lived on or that village on the other side of the well.
"You all right?" She asked, her head tilting to the side as her eyebrows furrowed in concern. "If it's too much trouble I can go another day. I just figured since we were by the train station . . ." A touch of red crept onto her cheeks as she trailed off. She suddenly felt like she was asking too much. She had already made the poor boy suffer through clothing store after clothing store - for babies no less. Not to mention the disapproving stares from that table of old grandmothers. They must have thought he was the father.
What was she thinking? Poor guy was probably chomping at the bit to go back home! Where he wouldn't have to be smothered by cranky old woman and little Dalmatian sweaters! She wanted to slap a hand to her cheek. Honestly, how could she possibly ask him to take even more time out of his day. And what about her family? They would probably jump him the first chance they got! Him being her latest hero and everything. And knowing her grandfather, he had probably already concluded that Yusuke was a demon and slap an offuda on her savior.
His voice startled her out of her thoughts. "Psh. Like I care if we go. I was just wondering why the sudden change of plans."
"Oh," that certainly hadn't been what she was expecting. Wasn't he sick of the baby drama yet? She'd taken her offer in a second if she was in his place. Oh well, give him another week and he'd went running for the hills. She gave him an analytical look over, ignoring his curious gaze. Then again, he was very much like Inuyasha. She'd better place her bet on two weeks.
"I just wanted to see if my mother still has my old baby crib, maybe some clothes - She tends to keep things like that." She tucked a stray lock behind her ear and looked up at him with a bright smile. "Maybe we'll even catch Inuyasha on the way out. He said he was going to go check on everyone today."
He shrugged. "Sure, why not?" He prodded one of the hung sweaters, watching as it swayed back and forth. For the first time since entering the store he caught a glance at the price tag and flinched. This place was worse than the last one they visited. "How the hell can they price this at thirty dollars? It's not even big enough to wear as a hat!"
Kagome sighed, placing a hand on her swollen stomach with a frown. "Tell me about it. At this rate I might as well just buy some fabric and try to make a baby wardrobe myself - even if I screw it up half the time it would still end up being cheaper." She gave the rack of colorful sweaters a thoughtful stare. "Then again, I suppose I really don't need a whole bunch . . . I could just wrap him up like the women in the past did."
He gave her a strange look. "That's cruel."
"Why?" She asked, her lips pulled into a frown.
"All the other kids will make fun of him!" He shook his head. "The poor kid will have emotional trauma for the rest of his life!"
She laughed, thinking it was a joke. But when she saw his frown deepening little by little the sound died in her throat and she blinked, wide-eyed. "You're serious?!"
He seemed offended. "Of course I am! Why would I joke about something like that!"
She shook her head with a sigh, running a hand through her hair in exasperation. "Yusuke, I don't think a baby is going to be scarred for the rest of his life just because he lived in a blanket and diapers the first few months of his life."
"Oh." He crossed his arms over his chest and mumbled. "I thought you were talking about wrapping him up in those sissy kimono things forever."
She blinked. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
He threw his hands up in frustration. "You know! Those fruity outfits the lords wore back then." His nose wrinkled in distaste. "They looked like women's kimono's with out the obi."
She blinked again. "You mean kyutai sugata?" she asked.
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure."
She frowned. "I think monks wore those . . . not lords."
"Whatever." He laid a hand on the small of her back and forcefully guided her out of the store despite her protests. "It's time to go any way."
"Hey! I wasn't done looking!"
He rolled his eyes. "Yes you were. You just didn't want to leave empty handed." From the corner of his eye he saw her face redden, and felt a victorious smirk creep on the corners of his lips. He was, of course, right.
"So?" She asked in as small voice, a childish pout on her lips.
"So, if you wanna go to your house before heading home then we should leave now. I told Inuyasha I'd get you home before five." He stated, still unrelenting in their steady pace towards the mall exit.
She blinked owlishly at him, allowing him to steer her through the busy shopping mall. "Since when did you and Inuyasha start making deals?" She poked him gently in the ribs, not surprised when the young man didn't even jump. "If I didn't know better I'd say you boys are starting to become friends."
His nose wrinkled as if he tasted something sour. "Yeah right. Me and dog breath? Please."
The corner of her mouth kicked up into a sly smirk. "I don't know Yusuke, you two seemed very close this morning." She joked, remembering her surprise when they had sat and talked comfortably in each others presence. She nearly had a hernia when Inuyasha passed the other man the orange juice without even a grumbled 'get it yourself'.
Yusuke frowned. "We just reached an understanding is all."
She raised an inquisitive eyebrow, her head cocked to the side. "What kind of understanding?"
His frown only deepened, and he looked at her seriously for the first time that day. "Inuyasha told me about the jewel and everything."
"Oh . . ." Her eyes widened before she cast them to the floor in an almost nervous gesture. "When?"
"Last night," he admitted, carefully guiding her onto the escalator down. He made sure to be on the step before her - sometime in the last day or two he seemed to have developed a fear of her falling. "You were asleep."
She nodded, knowing he was still watching her from the corner of his eye. As they neared the first floor she found the courage to glance down at him. It felt strange to be the tall one for once, surprisingly empowering. "What do you think?"
He looked over his shoulder to see her fully. Confusion painted on his face. "Huh?"
Kagome crossed her arms under her breasts as best she could considering her growing belly. "Do you think I'm crazy?"
"Why would you being a time traveler make you crazy?" Realizing how that sounded the moment after it left his mouth, and seeing the flaming light in her eyes, he quickly continued. "And I don't mean that in a sarcastic way - for once." He gently grabbed her elbow to guide her off the last step safely, relieved when she let him without qualm. "I've seen crazier stuff you know."
She sighed, allowing his hand to hover over the small of her back while the other held her hand as she gingerly stepped forward. Since when did he become such a gentleman anyway?
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, half expecting to see her hanyou in his place - knowing that he would have done the exact same thing. But Yusuke was still Yusuke - even if he wasn't acting particularly 'Yusuke-ish' at the moment. Her lips pursed, almost wishing he would be a little rougher with her. Everybody treated her like some kind of glass statue - too fragile to touch. It was starting to get on her nerves. But somehow she didn't think either of them would stop, even if she asked. She resisted the urge to heave another sigh.
"It's just strange I guess." She glanced up at him purposely. "You're the first one in this era, other than my family, to know." She shrugged, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "I guess I just expected the worst."
He rolled his eyes. "And me thinking you're crazy is the worst that could happen?"
She gave him a sharp backhand to his stomach, surprised when he actually jumped for once. "It is when I have to live with you breathing down my neck for the next three months."
He stuck his tongue out childishly. "Who knows, you may only be stuck with me for two," he said, remembering how quickly the baby was growing.
Now she rolled her eyes, though a smile settled itself on her lips. "You're right. And hey, maybe I'll get lucky and go into labor right now." She teased.
His eyes widened and his face went white, clearly horrified at the idea. "Don't even joke about that!" Images of the video he was forced to watch in sex education flashed through his mind and he shuddered involuntarily. The one day he had actually gone to class . . .
Seeing his grimace, her lips twisted into a smirk. "What's wrong Yusuke? Your not squeamish are you?"
He opened the exit door open before gently pushing her through. Feeling the cold breeze biting his bare hands, he regretted not having brought something to keep him warmer. He looked at Kagome's bundled form - at least she had come prepared. "Hell ya I am. And if you were a guy you would be too."
She shrugged, looking across the street. Almost immediately, her eye snagged on the golden arches of WacDonalds. Seconds later the smell hit her, and what usually would have had her mouth watering, suddenly had her stomach flipping and bile rising. She covered her mouth and nose hastily with a gloved hand, feeling dry heaves rack her body as she tried to fight the urge to throw up her breakfast.
But her stomach wasn't having it. Leaving Kagome to rush to the corner of the building - where she hoped no one would see - and deposited her breakfast on the cold cement. Sickened by the way the mess steamed in the frigid air, she barely registered the brush of Yusuke's knuckles on her neck as he pulled back her hair as she retched again. "Oh god . . ."
Though slightly worried, Yusuke couldn't help the way his face wrinkled in disgust. "When did you have marshmallows?" He dug into his jacket pocket with a free hand, pulling out the napkin he had saved from his lunch with Keiko a week ago. He examined it closely before deciding that it was definitely clean enough and offered it to her. "Here, take this."
She gladly took it. Wiping the sides of her mouth shakily, her face white. "Can you please not talk about food right now?" She inhaled deeply, a hand resting on her stomach as she tried to calm its heavy rolling; and grimacing at the taste of acid in her mouth. "I don't suppose you have mints or something?"
Realizing that she was done heaving up her breakfast (and whatever else she had eaten) he searched his coat's inside pockets once more. His fingers closed around something rectangular and he pulled it out. "Gum?"
She eyed the yellow packaging suspiciously. "What flavor?"
He frowned. "Juicy fruit."
"No mint?"
He rolled his eyes, holding it out to her. "Look, do you want it or not?"
She had the decency to blush as she realized how picky she was being, gladly taking the offered stick of gum. "Thank you," she mumbled, popping the product in her mouth - sighing as the horrible taste of acid dissipated and her stomach calmed.
He grunted, stuffing a hand in his pocket while the other returned to its place on her back. "You all right?" When she nodded he applied the smallest amount of pressure. "Come on then - before you puke your intestines."
She wrinkled her nose. "Uhg, Yusuke . . ."
Seeing her face turn slightly green, his eyes widened. "Oh! Sorry, um so - to your place. Right."
They walked to the station in silence, Yusuke dutifully steering her through the crowded streets before he could no longer hold back his burning question. "Really though, when did you have marshmallows?"
(:)(A)(:)
"I assume you felt it."
It was a declaration, not an inquiry. Something so typical of Hiei that Kurama would have felt an unbidden smile tug at his lips if it weren't for the topic being addressed. "Of course I did," he said with a sigh, running a troubled hand through his hair. "Who couldn't?"
"Hn." He gave a sidelong glance from his usual place on the windowsill - noticing the heavy bags under the red head's usually bright eyes as he stared down at his school book. He couldn't remember ever seeing the fox look so unkempt. "Then you know it wasn't her."
Another statement, though this one proved to lift his spirits. "No," he said, his eyes round and blinking. "I didn't know. I couldn't get the energy source quick enough to find out." His brow furrowed in his ever present curiosity. "How do you know it wasn't her?"
His shoulders raised in a mild shrug. "I asked Koenma about it." Seeing Kurama's face darken suddenly, he sneered. "Please. Like I would tell that moron it had anything to do with you."
Immediately he relaxed, slumping in his chair even as he felt the bite of guilt gnaw his heart. His eyes softened. "I apologize - I shouldn't have made such assumptions." When Hiei gave nothing other than a small 'hn' Kurama considered himself forgiven. "Though, out of curiosity, what did you tell him?"
"I didn't tell him anything. I demanded he tell me, and he did."
Kurama chuckled. "After some persuading I'm sure."
A corner of Hiei's mouth lifted in a self-satisfied smirk. "Possibly."
He sighed, looking at his math book before closing it dejectedly. He had the rest of the day to do it - he could finish it later. "Well, to be honest, I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or worse." He rubbed his temple, swiveling his chair to face his demonic friend fully. "So what did Koenma say?"
Hiei wrinkled his nose. "Something interesting . . . did you know Yusuke had a sister?"
Kurama started. "No, not at all." His brow furrowed, and he folded his hands in his lap as he contemplated the new mystery. He had, at one point over the years, surely asked the spirit detective if he had siblings - he must have. So if he had asked, then that left only two real possibilities. Either Yusuke had lied to him, which he had no real reason to do, or he honestly hadn't known. Because there was no possible way Kurama could have forgotten such a tid bit of information. As menial as it was, such details didn't escape his mind. "Perhaps, Yusuke didn't know."
The hybrid scoffed, lip curling in distaste. "Doubtful."
"So you think he hid her existence from us?" Kurama asked with a raised eyebrow. "What could he possibly gain from that?" He was greeted by a pointed look.
"The blast was from her."
The fox blinked before looking out the window, lips pursed. "How is that possible? That was a miko blast - she couldn't possibly be Yusuke's sister. Even if dormant, the demon blood would cause a conflict of energies . . . she couldn't survive."
"She only has half of Yusuke's blood - apparently they share a father." Hiei scoffed glaring heatedly at the surrounding city. "Face if fox. He hid her from us." His lip curled into a sneer. "Probably thought we'd try and kill her. As if I would go so low as to kill a stupid girl."
Sensing the hybrids feelings of betrayal he frowned. "Yusuke wouldn't hide a sister that powerful from us - she'd do more damage to us than we would to her." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Besides, don't you think she would have been too great an asset in the Dark Tournament to pass up?" He shook his head. "Yusuke may not be book smart, but he's not stupid. He wouldn't risk letting the human world fall just because he wanted to protect his sister."
Hiei frowned, clearly having not thought about from that point of view. "Hn. Maybe." He said grudgingly.
Kurama chuckled lightly, bringing a hand to his temple. "I'm sure that Yusuke will introduce us soon - perhaps her power is just too unstable for her to be trusted near us." His eyes softened slightly. "I'm sure he wouldn't keep something like that because he didn't trust us." He said, addressing the hybrid's inner conflict.
Crimson eyes narrowed. "Maybe. But I still think it's suspicious."
He raised an elegant eyebrow. "Well then why don't you just confront him about it?"
"I'm not going to waste my time on something so trivial."
Kurama shook his head, a little smile on his lips. "Well perhaps when I have the time I'll call Yusuke and see if it's safe to go and introduce myself."
(:)(A)(:)
Kagome spread her arms wide, a large smile overpowering her face as she faced the seemingly endless waves of steps. "We're here!"
Yusuke grumbled inaudibly, his arms shoved deep into his pant pockets.
Her smile faded and she tossed him an annoyed look over her shoulder. "You can't still be pouting." She rolled her eyes, imitating his pose.
He glared at her. "I'm not pouting."
"Could have fooled me."
"Well, maybe I am then." He huffed, boyish pout still in place even as he held his hand out to help her up the steps. Even if he was upset with her, she still needed help. He shaded his eyes with a hand and tried to see where the steps stopped. He immediately regretted it when he saw exactly how far they had to climb. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. There was no way she walked this thing every day.
She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you're being so immature about this!" She tossed her hands against her sides. "I mean really. Your making a huge deal about it!"
He pinned her with a sidelong glare.
A frustrated scream whistled through her teeth. "Oh my god! It was only a little bit of ice cream!"
He pointed an accusing finger at her. "No. It was Rocky Road ice cream. The best flavor ever created! And you didn't even share it with me!" He slapped a hand to his chest. "Me! The guy that saved you! Remember!"
Kagome pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath before sighing loudly. "Ok Yusuke. I'm sorry. Next time Kuwabara brings me ice cream I'll give you a bite. Happy?"
"No!"
She nearly tripped on the familiar steps.
"What do you mean 'no'!?"
"I mean no! I should get more than a bite!" Once again he pointed, though this time at himself. "Hero remember? I should get some kind of payment!"
She growled at him - actually growled at him - before poking him hard in the chest. The force of it causing him to back down a step. "You listen here Yusuke Urameshi!" She gestured at her stomach. "Maybe you haven't noticed, but I'm pregnant. And pregnant women have needs. One of those needs happens to be ice cream." He eyes narrowed down to slits, angry blue flames licking at her pupils. "Do you understand?"
He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. Suddenly aware of exactly how violent his half sister could really be. In the back of his mind he wondered if he could blame her pregnancy or if it was just her. He'd have to ask Inuyasha when he got the chance. "Can I still get that bite?"
Some part of him expected her to hit him the way Keiko would have, but that part was relieved when her anger melted away into a broad smile. "Of course! A promise is a promise!" She poked him (gently) in the ribs. "Besides, you are my hero. Can't have you going all skinny on me."
He smirked, despite the nervous clenching of his stomach. How the hell did her mood change so quickly? He shook the question off - pregnant women. It was better to just be thankful for once. He looked up and realized that they had only scaled a little more than half the steps. His gaze shifted to Kagome, immediately noticing that her breathing was a little heavier than normal. He frowned. "Hey, maybe you should rest."
She waved a limp hand. "I'm fine, I just haven't had to tackle these stairs for a while is all."
His brow furrowed. "How the hell did you get home then?" Was there some kind of back way that he didn't know about?
She flicked a lock of hair over her shoulder. "Inuyasha usually carries me," she rolled her eyes. "He's got this stupid fear of me falling down the steps."
Yusuke looked down at the steps they had already conquered and paled. He cleared his voice, laying a secure hand across the small of her back. "Yeah . . . stupid."
The rest of the way up, all Yusuke could hear was Kagome's deep breathing. He concentrated on the rhythm, waiting for it to become too sporadic so he could force her to take a breather. But to his surprise she remained strong. Obviously traveling in the past had helped her build an impressive amount of stamina. And soon they were at the last step, looking over the shrine's peaceful courtyard.
"Kagome!" A small boy cried, running over to them from the house - his mother and grandfather walking after him. He stopped in front of them, wearing a goofy grin until he looked at Yusuke, and froze.
Yusuke decided, right then and there, that Hiei was lucky. Very lucky. At least he didn't have to worry about Yukina seeing a family resemblance - the bastard didn't look a thing like her! And really, he only had to worry about her finding out! Well . . . Kuwabara too . . . but everyone else could keep a secret!
At that moment Yusuke would kill to be in his shoes.
Not only did he have to worry about Kagome finding out - oh no. He had to worry about her mother, her grandfather, and (worst of all) her brother. His brother. That looked exactly like him. Damn his father for having such dominate genes!
"Oh my goodness! You two look so alike!" Mrs. Higurashi said, having finally caught up with the boy. A delicate hand pressed to her cheek as she eyed the two of them thoughtfully. Her father standing right beside her, stroked his beard.
Yusuke gave a nervous chuckle scratching the back of his neck and trying to ignore Souta's curious gaze. "Uh . . . ya. Small world I guess . . . Haha . . ."
Kagome looked between the two of them with a finger to her chin. "Wow! I can't believe I didn't notice the resemblance before!" She laughed merrily, eyes bright. "You two could be brothers!"
Yusuke cringed. Oh yeah, they could be brother's all right.
Souta eyes him suspiciously as he asked his sister a quiet question. "Kagome, are you sure this guy isn't a demon? Maybe he's one of those shape shifting ones!"
Mrs. Higurashi gasped, a delicate hand covering her mouth. "Souta! That's no way to treat a guest!" She turned to Yusuke. "I'm so sorry dear. I'm afraid Inuyasha has told him one too many stories."
Once again Yusuke found himself rubbing the back of his neck - though this time he wasn't alone. Looking over at Kagome he could see she was doing exactly the same thing - laughing the same nervous laugh. Immediately his mouth snapped shut and his arm dropped, a bead of sweat dancing on his temple. "Uh, actually. I do have a little bit of demon blood." He analyzed all of their faces, relieved to see only mild surprise and no suspicion. Today's mission - don't do anything Kagome-like. Or Souta-like for that matter.
"Ah ha! I knew it!"
Kagome rolled her eyes. "He isn't a shape shifter! And he only has a little bit!" She saw movement from the corner of her eye and she immediately balked. "Grandpa no!" But it was, of course, too late. Yusuke had already been pelted with several offudas.
"Demon be gone!"
Yusuke eye twitched, feeling the sticky paper pulling at the skin on his forehead. On the bright side, at least he wasn't related the crazy old guy. "Uh . . . was that suppose to do anything?"
Kagome sighed, rubbing her temple. "It never does - not even on Inuyasha." She turned to her family, a small frown on her face as she gestured to the man beside her. "Everyone, this is Yusuke. He's the one that's staying with me for the next three months."
Mrs. Higurashi smiled gently. "Ah, so you're my daughters newest hero." She held out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Yusuke took her hand and gave it a very gentle shake. "I would really say hero," he said, suddenly embarrassed. He knew Kagome must be rolling her eyes behind him. "I was just at the right place at the right time."
Her smile only sweetened, causing Yusuke to fidget. So this is the woman my father left us for . . .
"Either way, I thank you very much." She released his hand, and he couldn't help but feel the loss of warmth. "Why don't you come in and sit down. I just made a batch of cookies for Inuyasha when he gets back." She gave him a teasing wink. "But I'm sure he won't mind sharing."
He couldn't help but smile back. "Cookies sound great." He turned to Kagome, but when he saw her face his stomach dropped, and his smile faltered. She was giving him a strange look, suspicious. And he could see her brain working as her eyes jumped from him, to Souta, and back with a calculating gaze.
It must have gotten colder, because suddenly his body felt numb.
(:)(A)(:)
I know, I know. I said I was going to try and get it out before November. And I didn't lie - I did try. But I had a short story that I had to do for one of my classes, and I've been battling with it. That combined with writers block. Had about five pages written that I ended up moving to the next chapter, so I kinda had to start all over again. Oh well. That's the way it goes.
Any way, hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving (if you celebrate). And a happy day in general (for all those who don't).
Read and Review! And remember - I don't own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho!
Oh! And I have another one-shot out that titled Dying All Around Me. Iím really proud of it (even though itís a bit short) so have a look-see and tell me what you think!
