Hauntober:

Haunted

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

Story and OCs © Me

"Dad? Who's Kikyo?"

Inuyasha's eyes went wide as he put his newspaper while Kagome, who was at the stove trying to make shrimp stir-fry for dinner, glanced over her shoulder. Ichiro sat at the table, bobbing his head to some music he was listening to with his earphones on as he scribbled down some math formulas on the table, completely unaware of the question his little brother asked him while Riki lied at his master's feet. Sanka was in the living room with the twins, playing tea party, also unaware of what her older brother had said.

"Yama...w-where did you hear that name?" asked Inuyasha.

"I heard you muttering it...and you looked kinda sad, too," Yamako answered as he stood at his side, staring up at him owlishly. "So...who is she?"

Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head before he glanced over at Kagome, who stared back at him in concern, glancing back and forth between him and her secondborn son. By now, Ichiro finally seemed to sense the tension going on as he finally raised his head and pulled out his earphones. Even Sanka seemed to notice was amiss before she came in, and the twins were waddling in with her not long after.

"What's going on?" Sanka asked. "Why's it all quiet?"

"Dad, are you okay?" Ichiro asked, worriedly.

Inuyasha looked back at Kagome, who had turned the heat under the wok to a low fire to keep the food from burning. She worried her lower lip before she exhaled through her nose...then mutely nodded her head, causing her husband to sigh.

"Yama, San...sit," Inuyasha said as he reached down and picked up Izayoi and Usagi while Yamako and Sanka sat at the table. "Now...I didn't tell you kids this for a long time, but...three years before I met your mother, I was in a relationship with another woman. Her name...was Kikyo."

Yamako and Sanka glanced at each other while Ichiro's brows raised up into his bangs. Izayoi and Usagi, being toddlers, only blinked up at their daddy, curiously but also puzzled.

"Did you love her, Dad?" Yamako asked.

"...Yeah...I did," Inuyasha admitted. "I even thought about marrying her."

"You did?" Sanka asked, almost sadly, which made Inuyasha's heart clench just a little bit.

"Yeah...but...I never got the chance to ask her," Inuyasha replied.

"Why didn't you?" asked Yamako.

"...Because one day, Kikyo was taken from her apartment," Inuyasha said. "By the time your grandpa and I found her...a horrible man had...had..." He sighed and clenched his jaw so tight, he felt like it would crack...but he had to say it. "He...he took Kikyo away from me...forever."

Yamako and Sanka both shrank a bit while Kagome tightened her lips. She was actually a bit glad that Inuyasha didn't use the term "murder". They knew what death was, but they were far too young to understand things such as "murder" and "rape", yet.

"In fact...2 days from now, it'll be the same day when Kikyo was taken from me," Inuyasha continued.

"Is that why you've been acting so sad?" Yamako asked. "Do you miss her?"

"...A little," Inuyasha admitted.

"...Did you...love her more than you love Mommy?" Sanka asked, causing her father to reach over and pull her into his arms, dropping a warm, loving kiss on the top of her head.

"I could never love anybody more than I love your mother," he rumbled, soothingly. "NEVER, sweetie."

Hearing that caused Sanka to smile up at her father, which caused Yamako and Ichiro to smile, as well. Even the twins smiled and giggled, just happy to see their big brothers and sister so happy, too.

"In fact...Kikyo told me in a dream that it was okay for your mother and me to be together," said Inuyasha, "and do you know why?"

"Why?" asked Yamako.

"Because Kikyo just wanted me to be happy," Inuyasha replied. "She wanted to be able to move on and fall in love, again."

Yamako and Sanka both smiled brightly, and Kagome, whose back was turned as she tended to the food, smiled warmly as she glanced over her shoulder.

"What Kikyo and I had was special," Inuyasha began, "but your mother and I? The love we have is true...and if it wasn't, you guys wouldn't be here, now would you?"

"No, Daddy," Sanka replied with a shake of her head.

"You know...I'm kinda glad I know about Kikyo, now," said Yamako.

"Yeah...me, too," Ichiro added. "Now it feels like I've kinda gotten to know her."

Inuyasha chuckled as he gently put his daughters down, then went over to ruffle Yamako's hair, which caused him to giggle.

"Okay," he said. "Go up and wash your hands, then come back down and eat."

"Okay!" the children exclaimed as they went to wash their hands. As they did, Kagome approached her husband from behind and wrapped his arms around him, kissing his cheek and rubbing circles on his chest, causing him to sigh.

"...Are you okay?" she asked.

"...I'll be fine," Inuyasha rumbled. "I knew I had to tell the kids about Kikyo, eventually. They only know about how you and I met, but I never once told them about her because none of them even asked."

"...Do you still miss her, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked in concern. "I wouldn't blame you if you did."

Inuyasha paused before he reached up and held his wife's fingers, gently intertwining them with his.

"Kagome, if that were true," he began, "I'd still be sitting in that bar, so damn wasted that I couldn't tell up from down, and still living with my parents and my adopted little brother."

"...I'm so sorry that Naraku took her from you," Kagome whispered as she clutched his shirt.

"Keh," Inuyasha scoffed. "The son of a bitch almost took you, too...I wasn't gonna let him win a second time."

Kagome smiled as she remembered when Inuyasha saved her, all those years ago on that cold winter night. Even now, she could still see it so vividly: she was lying on the wooden floor of Naraku's bedroom, covering her bare body with her discarded clothes as her half-demon knight in shining armor clashed with the psychopath...and how later that night, she and Inuyasha made sweet love at the hotel they took shelter in. She would remember that night always as the best thing that ever happened to her.

"I won't let Kikyo's death haunt me, anymore," Inuyasha said. "I have you...and we have 5 beautiful children."

"Yeah, I know," Kagome replied.

"Of course...I know it won't be just the five of them for much longer," Inuyasha said with a knowing smirk, causing his wife to giggle as she kissed his cheek, once again.

"I love you, Inuyasha..."

"I love you, too, Kagome...always."

Review, please!