The Rainbow Bridge
An Inuyasha Modern AU Story
Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
Story and OCs © Me
Summary- When Sanka grieves the loss of her class pet and seems inconsolable, her oldest brother might be able to help her get through her loss.
WARNING- This story contains sensitive subjects that are not suitable for some readers. Viewer discretion is heavily advised.
It was late in the afternoon and Kagome was getting started on preparing dinner. Tonight, she thought about making some ham croquettes with some simmered vegetables and rice. The twins were both sitting in their playpen together, Usagi giggling as she watched her mother go about chopping some veggies on the cutting board while Izayoi was more preoccupied with cuddling her favorite stuffed bear.
It was at that moment that Kagome heard the sound of her husband's pickup truck pulling up to the driveway, causing her to smile as she heard the engine stop, the car doors open and shut, and the sound of footsteps approaching...but then, as the front door opened, her 5 3/4 daughter came rushing into the house, her boots falling off her feet as she ran in...and for just a moment, Kagome noticed a somewhat distressed expression on her usually smiling face.
"Sanka?" Kagome called as she saw run up the stairs...and after a few seconds, she heard the door slam. She blinked, concern welling up in chest before she turned to Inuyasha, who stood at the door with Ichiro and Yamako, the latter having droopy ears and his eyes cast to the floor with his hands shoved in his jacket pockets.
"What's going on?" Kagome asked as she approached her husband and sons. "Did Sanka have a bad day at school? Was someone picking on her?"
"No, no one was picking on her," Inuyasha said before he heaved a sigh. "It's...it's Mochi."
"She died, yesterday," Yamako added, prompting Kagome to gasp in horror.
Mochi was a Netherland Dwarf Rabbit and Sanka's class pet. She was called Mochi because her fur was all white, like a mochi cake. Every weekend, a member of her class would take the rabbit home with them and care for them, then bring her back to school on Monday. It was a way to teach the students responsibility.
Sanka actually brought Mochi home with her last weekend and Kagome noticed that the rabbit did seem rather sluggish as of late. She figured that the little lapine was just tired...but she never thought she maybe she was ailing. She was still quite young for a domesticated rabbit, too: at least 4...maybe 5 years old. Kagome knew that Sanka loved that rabbit more than even her precious plush cat. She heard how she was always the first to say hello to Mochi whenever she got into class and was always feeding her lettuce and cleaning out her cage whenever the class had free time. It was no wonder she came in the house, all upset.
"What...what did her teacher, Mrs. Torajima say?" asked Kagome.
"Pretty much what Yama just said," said Inuyasha. "That she died. She didn't give any explanation on how she died...she didn't even sugarcoat it. Just said that Mochi died, plain and simple."
"Oh, my god..." Kagome groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Why didn't she just get a replacement rabbit?! These kids are only 5 or 6 years old! They're too young to know about things like death! I just..." She sighed as she leaned against the wall. "Just...oh, my god, my poor baby girl..."
"Kagome, how do you think I feel?" Inuyasha asked as he walked over and put his arms around her. "I tried to cheer her up on the way home. I offered to buy her ice cream, but she didn't want any. I thought about getting her candy, she didn't want that, either. I couldn't stand seeing her all sad. It broke my heart when I saw her like that."
"Mom?" Yamako asked. "Is San gonna be okay?"
"Well...sweetie," Kagome answered, "I don't really know."
"Umm...Mom? Dad?" asked Ichiro, gaining his parents' attention. "Maybe...I can help."
XXX
Sanka sat in hers and Yamako's bedroom, sniffling as she sat on her bed. In her hands was a picture she drew with crayon: a picture of a chubby white rabbit, hopping around in green grass and eating a carrot. She remembered this picture for she drew on the day she brought Mochi home from school. She was so excited that day because it meant that she got to spend all the time she wanted with her and have the bunny all to herself...but she was so blissfully unaware that the time they spent together would be their last.
Sanka wiped her eyes and her nose before she hugged the drawing, not caring if she was crinkling the paper...when suddenly, she heard a knock at the door, which opened to reveal Ichiro walk in.
"Hey, San," he said with a small, kind smile. "Mind if your big bro comes in?"
"...You can if you want to," Sanka said, sadly, prompting Ichiro to walk in and sit down next to her.
"You okay, Sis?" asked Ichiro.
"...No," Sanka replied. "Ichi...why did Mochi die?"
"I dunno, San," Ichiro answered. "You'll have to talk to Mrs. Torajima when you go to school on Monday." He gently pulled her into a side-hug. "I'm sorry about Mochi...I really am...but it's gonna be okay. Mochi's crossed the Rainbow Bridge, now."
"...What's the Rainbow Bridge?" asked Sanka, causing Ichiro to smile.
"Well...it's a place where animals like dogs, cats, horses...especially rabbits go when they...when they die," Ichiro explained.
"...Is it pretty?" Sanka asked.
"Well, I wouldn't know since I've never seen it before," said Ichiro. "Dad told me about it, a long time ago...when..." He then heaved a quiet sigh.
"When what?" Sanka asked.
"...Wait here," Ichiro said as he got up and walked out. "I'm gonna show you something."
For a while, Sanka could hear her oldest brother fumbling about, even quietly cursing as something was heard dropping on his head. Then, he came back in while holding a thick book under his underarm, then sat down and opened it, revealing that it was the family photo album.
"Let's see," Ichiro muttered as he flipped through the pages, the first few showing pictures of just Inuyasha and Kagome back when they were dating and had gotten married. "No, no...you don't wanna see that one..." He flipped through more pages. "No...no..."
Sanka giggled a bit when she saw Ichiro's baby pictures, causing him to glare at her with a slight growl in his throat, which prompted her to quickly shut her mouth and give him a slightly apologetic look before he continued flipping through the pages until he finally stopped on the 20th page or so.
"Ah, here it is!" he exclaimed as he pointed at a photo of Inuyasha, Kagome, the latter's belly having a somewhat rounded shape, and a smaller version of Ichiro, who was hugging a dog that looked suspiciously like Riki, but his red fur seemed a bit darker and his muzzle was grayer.
"Who's that?" asked Sanka.
"This is me," Ichiro began as he pointed at the photo, "back when I was about 6."
"Where's Yama?" asked Sanka.
"Right here," Ichiro answered as he pointed at the bump in Kagome's belly. "He was in Mom's belly."
"And where am I and the twins?" asked Sanka.
"This was way before you, Izayoi, and Usagi were born," replied Ichiro.
"Oh," Sanka realized, "and...who's the doggy? Is that Riki?"
"No, Riki wasn't around then," Ichiro replied. "That's Taro...he was Dad's dog."
"What happened to him?" asked Sanka as she looked up at her brother, who took in a deep breath before he exhaled.
"Well...same thing that happened to Mochi," Ichiro said. "He...he died."
"...Oh..." Sanka muttered, her floppy ears starting to droop. "How did he die?"
"Well...a long time ago, back when I was just starting first grade," Ichiro began, "Dad noticed that something was wrong with Taro, so he took him to the vet. I thought that if he went to the doctor and all...things would be all right, you know? But...when I got home later on Friday..."
Flashback
Ichiro got out of the back seat of Miroku's SUV, having just gotten home from school.
"Thanks, Uncle Miroku!" Ichiro called.
"Sure thing, Ichiro," Miroku smiled. "Say hi to your parents, okay?"
"'Kay!" Ichiro replied before he looked to Roku, who smiled at him. "Bye, Roku! See you tomorrow!"
"Bye," Roku replied before Ichiro closed the passenger door and ran up to the front door of his house.
"Mom, Dad, I'm home!" Ichiro called as he quickly opened and close the door...and the first thing he noticed was that his father was sitting at the dining table, his hands covering his face while Kagome, 6 months pregnant, sat by his side, rubbing circles on his back...and though it was a bit faint, Ichiro could have sworn that he smelled the salty scent of tears coming from both of them.
"Mom? Dad?" he called again, causing both of them to turn to him with a start. Ichiro blinked when he saw his father's face: his eyes were red and puffy and they had dark circles underneath them.
"Hey, pal," Inuyasha said as he sniffed and wiped his eyes. "How was...how was school today, huh?"
"It was fun," Ichiro grinned. "We got to draw pictures, today!" He then reached into his backpack and pulled out a picture of some sort of stick figure and a brown, fuzzy animal that was drawn with marker.
"Oh, wow, Ichi!" Kagome exclaimed as she stood up and admired the drawing, even though her eyes seemed a bit watery, too. "That's lovely!"
"It's me and Taro!" Ichiro exclaimed...and almost instantly, his parents' smiles disappeared and all color drained from their faces. "I know he's been a little sick, lately, so I'm gonna show it to him so he'll feel better!"
"Uh...actually, Ichiro," Inuyasha said, "that's...something I wanna talk to you about."
"...What do you mean?" asked Ichiro.
"Well, pal," Inuyasha said while swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, "it's just...I took Taro to the vet while you were at school...and...well...he was so sick and...so old that...I had to have him be put to sleep."
"...Oh," Ichiro said. "Okay then."
With that, he soon headed up the stairs while his parents stared after him, confused and...maybe a bit worried, too.
"Let me know when dinner is ready!" Ichiro called. "I'll be playing in my room!"
"Uh...okay, honey!" Kagome called back. "Wow...he...took that better than I thought he would."
"...No...I don't think it's gonna be that easy," Inuyasha whispered...and he didn't realize just how right he was.
For the rest of the night, Ichiro didn't question where Taro was or if he could see him. He just happily talked about his day and ate his dinner before having a bath, cleaning his teeth, and going to bed.
The next morning, on a Saturday, Ichiro had just finished his breakfast and then went back upstairs, then after a while, he came back down with his drawing in his hands.
"Hey, Mom?" asked Ichiro. "Where's Taro?"
Kagome, who was washing the dishes, immediately tensed while Inuyasha sat in the living room, giving a sideways glance to his son.
"I still wanna show him my picture," said Ichiro, causing Kagome to sigh before she turned to face her son, then she squat as best as her belly would allow her.
"Ichi...honey," Kagome said. "Your dad and I told you...Taro's dead, remember? We told you this, yesterday."
"No, you didn't say that," Ichiro said. "You said he was put to sleep. I figured I'd show it to him when he came back from the vet, but he's not here, yet. So where is he?"
Kagome felt her heart sink...and Inuyasha felt his stomach turn with unease and distress. He should have known his 6-year-old son wouldn't be able to grasp the concept. He wasn't ready to have this conversation with him...he wanted to wait until he was at least 10 years old...but it seemed that fate had other ideas.
With a sigh, Inuyasha sighed as he walked over to his son.
"Ichi," Inuyasha said as he came and kneeled in front of him. "When I said that Taro was put to sleep...I meant that he died."
"Oh," Ichiro said. "Well...that's okay. He's still coming home, right?"
Kagome bit her lip while Inuyasha sucked in a big breath through his teeth. God, he hated having to explain this to him. He was only 6!
"Ichi...you don't understand," Inuyasha said. "Taro's not coming home."
On that, Ichiro's eyes widened and his ears began to droop.
"...He's...he's not?" he asked in a small voice that just made Inuyasha's heart clench.
"...No," Inuyasha answered with a trembling lip. "He's...he's not. I'm sorry."
"But...but why not?" asked Ichiro.
"Ichiro," Kagome said. "When people...and dogs die...they don't come back."
"...Never...?" Ichiro asked in barely a whisper.
"...Never," Inuyasha repeated, trying hard not to let his voice break.
"But...but who's gonna lick my face when I come home from school?" asked Ichiro, his voice beginning to rise with his frustration. "Who am I gonna play fetch with?! Who's gonna sleep in my bed so that I can hug them when I have a bad dream at night?!" He sniffled as his eyes began to sting with tears. "W...why did he have to die...?"
"Because, Ichi," Inuyasha began, his own eyes beginning to well up, "these things...just happen."
Ichiro sniffled as his tears finally began to fall down his cheeks.
"...It's not fair," he whimpered. "It's just not fair!"
"...I know," Inuyasha whispered as he took his son into his arms and hugged him as tight as he could. "I know, pal...!" On that, he began to sob as his own tears fell...and not long after, Kagome went up and hugged her husband and son, joining in the grieving.
The next few days, Ichiro was still very upset. He wouldn't sleep in his bed because it reminded him that Taro would often sleep in there with him, so he would often sleep with his parents instead...but even that didn't help. At school, he wouldn't focus and he wouldn't join his friends in any playtime activities. He'd mostly just keep to himself. At one point, Kagome was called in from home because the teachers were concerned about his emotional state.
It wasn't until the weekend after that Kagome found her son sitting alone in his room, again, staring at the picture that he drew in class last week.
"...Hey, Ichi," Kagome said as she walked up to him and gently pulled him into her arms as best she could. "You okay?"
"...I'm still sad," Ichiro said. "Mom...are you sure Taro's not coming back?"
"...Yes, honey, I'm sure," Kagome answered.
"...I miss him so much," Ichiro muttered.
"Yeah...so do I," Kagome replied as she gently stroked his fuzzy little puppy ears. "But...there's someone who misses him just as much...maybe even more than you do."
"Who?" Ichiro asked as he looked up at his mother.
"...Your dad," Kagome answered.
"...Dad's sad, too?" Ichiro inquired. "Why?"
"Well, Ichi," Kagome began, "long before you were born and before he met me, your dad raised Taro from when he was a little puppy. In a way...it was like Taro was his son, too."
"...Really?" Ichiro asked, his ears perking up just a bit.
"Yeah," Kagome replied. "Your dad loved Taro...and Taro loved your dad...and he loved you, too." She then smiled, fondly. "I remember when we brought you home from the hospital after you were born. The first thing he did was go up and sniff you...and then he lied beside your crib and he never left your side. When you were having a nap, you'd sleep on his side and he'd watch over you. He never bit you and he never growled at you, even when you were pulling on his ears and his tail...because he knew that you were so small and fragile and he was always so protective of you."
"...Wow...I think I remember that," said Ichiro with a small smile. "Taro really did love me...and I loved him."
"I know you did," Kagome said. "I loved him, too."
Suddenly, they heard the sound of the front door opening and closing from downstairs.
"Your dad's home," Kagome said, and soon, Ichiro hurried out of his room and went down the stairs to see his father heading for the backyard...and in his hand was a medium-sized jar that was decorated with paw prints.
"Hi, Dad," Ichiro greeted, causing Inuyasha to turn to him.
"Oh...hey, buddy," Inuyasha greeted back with a half-smile.
"What's in the jar?" Ichiro asked as he pointed at said-object.
"This?" Inuyasha asked as he held the jar in his hands. "Well...it's filled with Taro's ashes. I was at the vet, picking them up."
"Oh," Ichiro said. "What are you gonna do with them?"
"I'm...gonna bury them under the tree where Taro liked taking his naps," Inuyasha answered.
"...Can I help you?" Ichiro asked, causing his father to blink at him in surprise.
"You wanna help me?" Inuyasha questioned while Ichiro nodded his eagerly. "Well...okay. You can help."
Ichiro smiled before he put on his shoes and followed his father into the backyard. He got his plastic shovel from the sandbox and dug a small hole underneath an oak tree, where Inuyasha placed the jar inside and then buried it. After that, he placed a stone with Taro's name carved into it, then he stood up, dusted off his jeans, and stood back from it while Ichiro placed some daisies on top of the dirt mound.
"...I hope you crossed the Rainbow Bridge safely, Taro," Inuyasha whispered.
"...What's the Rainbow Bridge?" asked Ichiro, causing his father to glance down at him.
"Well...your Grandma Izayoi told me about this once," Inuyasha answered as he looked up at the sky. "The Rainbow Bridge is...well, it's a place where animals like Taro go after they die."
Ichiro blinked at his father before he looked up at the sky, as well. "You think Taro's really up there?"
"Yeah, I think so," Inuyasha mused. "I think he's up there, right now...watching over me, you, and your mother...and, yeah, I'm probably gonna be sad for a while, but...I'll be okay, eventually."
"...Dad?" Ichiro asked.
"Yeah, pal?" Inuyasha asked.
"...You're not gonna die...are you?" Ichiro asked, causing his father to smile as he picked him and held him in his arms...and Kagome stood in the doorway, smiling warmly.
"I'm not dying for a long time, buddy," he whispered. "I'm always gonna be here for you...me, your mother...and your baby brother that's coming in a few more months." He then gave a mock gasp as he covered his mouth. "Oops! That was supposed to be a surprise!"
Ichiro gasped. "I'm having a brother?!"
"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed.
"It slipped out!" Inuyasha cried before he started laughing, and soon after, Kagome couldn't help laughing, either, even more so when Ichiro began running around the backyard, yelling "I'M HAVING A BROTHER" over and over.
As Ichiro continued cheering, Inuyasha glanced over at Taro's grave marker...and he smiled, warmly, even if there was still just a tiny hint of sadness there.
"Rest in peace, Taro," he whispered.
Flashback end
"Wow...!" Sanka whispered in awe as she looked at her big brother, who grinned at her.
"And that was how I learned about the Rainbow Bridge and...how I learned to cope with his death," Ichiro said. "I was still sad for a little while, but it didn't last too long." He then turned the page in the album, showing him at 7 years with baby Yamako...and a red Akita puppy in the former's arms. "You know who that is?"
"...Is that Riki?" asked Sanka.
"Yep!" Ichiro answered. "Dad got him for me on my 7th birthday!"
It was then that Riki, now 5 years old, came trotting into the room and jumped on Ichiro, who laughed as his face was smothered in slobbery dog kisses, and Sanka was soon sent into a fit of giggles, too.
"Okay, okay, Riki!" Ichiro laughed as he pushed him off and wiped his face. "Down!" He then turned to Sanka, who smiled at him. "So, San, you feel better, now?"
"A little," Sanka said. "I'm still a little sad about Mochi, though."
"Aww...that's okay," Ichiro said as he brought in for another side-hug. "You're probably gonna feel this way for a while...but Mochi's gonna be watching over you, now. As long as you remember that, well...things will be okay."
"...Thanks, Ichi," Sanka said. "You're the best big brother, ever."
"Heh," Ichiro grinned. "I have my moments."
In the hallway, Kagome smiled as she and Inuyasha stood near the door, listening to the whole conversation.
"...Hey, Inuyasha?" asked Kagome.
"Yeah?" Inuyasha asked.
"Do you still think about Taro, sometimes?" asked Kagome...causing him to sigh.
"Yeah...I do," Inuyasha admitted. "I mean...he was like my son...before Ichi was born, that is. He helped me cope a little after Kikyo died." He then chuckled. "He helped me bring you and together."
Kagome couldn't help laughing as she remembered when Taro ran into the cafe where she worked and Inuyasha came chasing after him while holding his leash.
"...He was even the ring bearer at our wedding," she mused.
"Yeah...it took me forever to train him to carry the rings in that little basket," said Inuyasha with an amused grin, "but...he got the job done." He then inhaled and sighed softly. "I look back on the days when he was alive and...those were some of the best days of my life."
"...Mine, too," Kagome added before she hugged her husband, who chuckled as he cupped her chin and kissed her on the lips.
Outside...a beautiful rainbow arched across the sky.
I know what you guys might say, but I feel like I wanna get this off my chest. And no, no pets of mine have died (at least not yet), but I just had this idea in mind for a long time and I thought that I might share it.
For those of you who enjoyed this story, I thank you.
Review, please!