Notes:
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the characters from the anime and/or manga.
Hello everyone! Welcome to Chapter 30! A few revelations before we get back to the action... enjoy!
Kagome stood at the bottom of the stairs to her school, twisting her rings around on her finger. She had thought about wearing them around her neck, but wasn't the whole reason for getting married so that they didn't have to hide anymore?
She did keep her own name so it would be on her high school diploma, but she believed pretty strongly that a name did not dictate the closeness of a marriage. And Inuyasha felt no ties to Sesshomaru's family name; it was a means to an end for him, whereas for her, Higurashi was her whole identity. She wasn't sure that Sesshomaru would be too pleased with her decision to keep her name for now, but she frankly didn't care. She was Inuyasha's wife, and if he was fine with her keeping her name, then what else mattered?
"Oi, Kagome," said a deep voice beside her. She looked up to see Inuyasha staring down at her, his amber eyes deep and questioning. "What're you thinking about?"
She smiled and reached up to cup his face in his hands. She pulled him down and kissed him. "About how this is my first day of high school where I'm here as your wife."
She loved how his face thrilled at the word "wife." He was completely lit up from within; his smile took up his whole face. She was thankful he was wearing his bracelet, because she was pretty sure his fangs were hanging out openly. She didn't need to scent him to tell that he wanted to just take her right there and now, and by the way his eyes were raking over her, she knew he could tell she wasn't averse to that.
His arms went around her and he pulled her close, nibbling at her ear. "I'll see you at 5?" he breathed. Kagome suddenly felt weak and she nodded. He released her to arm's length. "Have a good day, wife," he teased her.
"Have a good day, husband," she teased him back.
"Hold on, hold on," a voice came up from behind them. "Did you just say 'husband'?"
Inuyasha and Kagome whirled around to see Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi. Yuka's hands were on her hips, and her feet were spread apart. Her face was demanding and curious. Kagome blushed, and Inuyasha removed his hands from his mate and wife.
"I'll see you at 5, 'Gome," he said slowly, backing away. He nodded at the girls, and practically ran back in the direction of the shrine.
The girls advanced on Kagome, who visibly gulped, her face beet red. Eri took Kagome's left hand and examined it critically. She looked up at Kagome's face. Kagome tried not to meet her gaze.
"When were you going to tell us you were married, Kagome?" Eri was pissed. Ayumi and Yuka gathered around too; Kagome felt their presence pushing in on her, and it was all she could to do not unleash her aura on them. She gritted her teeth, urging her aura to stay put.
Instead, she ripped her hand out of Eri's grasp. "This is why!" she exclaimed. "I didn't want to get crowded with questions and judgments!" She felt badly knowing that these were supposedly her best friends, but she hadn't told them just how far her relationship with Inuyasha had gone, and how deep her love for him ran.
Eri backed off, holding out her hands. "Whoa, Kagome," she replied hastily, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to crowd you." Yuka and Ayumi looked between the two girls, confused and wary of the turn in the conversation. Eri sighed. "You just…haven't been hanging out with us as much since Inuyasha came to live here for good."
Kagome froze. It was true; she hadn't spent much time with the girls this year. But honestly? She felt decades older than them, and infinitely more mature. Living each day as though it might be your last, as though you might be eaten by demons at any moment, tended to have that effect on a person. She didn't find it fun anymore to hang out and talk about boys and makeup; she didn't find it fun anymore to have sleepovers and gossip all night long.
But why didn't she? Did having a mate and being a miko automatically mean that she was above them, somehow? That her tastes had outgrown them? Did the fear of death on a daily basis really mean that she couldn't hang out for one night and watch bad movies?
She instantly felt like an awful, awful friend.
Kagome's eyes dropped. "I'm sorry, Eri," she said quietly. "It's been a tough adjustment to have Inuyasha here, and to try and balance my life with him and my life before him, and the life in between, where he was in and out of it so much." She felt the tears pricking the corners of her eyes.
It was Ayumi who stepped forward and hugged her tightly. "It's okay," she said softly. "Really. It's really okay. You've had a lot to process." She looked at the other girls. "We don't really understand everything that's happened, either." She paused as the school bell rang, signling the end of their conversation. "Maybe you could tell us, though?"
Kagome sighed. She didn't really want to talk about Inuyasha with the girls, but she supposed that she would have to at some point. She owed them that much. "I don't have kyudo today, so let's go get something to eat after school, yeah?" The girls all stared at her, hard. "I'll tell you want you want to know."
She texted Inuyasha at lunch, to let him know she would be going out with the girls after school. His text came back, almost immediately:
No kyudo?
She paused. I forgot to tell you this morning, sorry.
There was a moment where the bubbles on the left side of the screen indicated he was writing. Then it stopped, and then started again.
Okay, I'll meet you and walk you wherever you're going.
She sighed, not for the first time that day, and responded:
It's okay, really. I don't think anything will happen with the girls around.
His text was again almost immediate:
That's what you say literally every time you get kidnapped. See you after school.
"Well?" said Yuka. Kagome looked up from her phone.
"I think he's going to join us," Kagome said resignedly. The girls, however, looked delighted.
The rest of the day passed in a blur for Kagome. She couldn't seem to pay attention in any of her classes. Instead, she thought about what she would tell her friends, and what their responses to her stories would be. She had no idea what they would think. Her mother had told her that they'd stopped by before the well was restored, but there was so much confusion in those moments, it was tough to sit them down and explain to them what was happening. Now, in this moment, though, things were different. Kagome and Inuyasha were safe. (Relatively.) They weren't going anywhere. She would have to face her friends, and tell them everything.
Inuyasha was waiting for Kagome and the girls in his usual spot after school: across the street, lounging against the tree, scrolling through his phone, trying to not think about what was about to happen. He found Kagome's friends to be a little silly, honestly: high-pitched, gossipy girls. But they had been Kagome's friends for many years, and she hadn't been spending much time with them lately. Even though he wanted to make sure that she was safe, he was also hesitant to interfere in what Kagome called "girl time." He rolled his eyes and let out a small scoff. She could have all the "girl time" she wanted; he'd wait for her somewhere out of sight.
Unfortunately, the girls had other plans.
Inuyasha scented Kagome first, and looked up to see her long dark hair flowing against the white of her school blouse, the flash of her rings in the sunlight as she adjusted her backpack. She was just coming down the steps of the school. His youki whined at the sight of his wife and mate; Inuyasha quickly tamped it down as he saw the three girls following her out of the building. He wasn't sure how comfortable Kagome would be with his youki fawning all over her in front of her friends.
The girl Inuyasha thought was called Yuka spotted him first. He saw her looking his way, then he saw her nudge Kagome. She looked up, and her face broke out into a huge smile, her eyes lighting up as she saw him straighten up across the street. The other girls grinned and waved frantically; his youki came fully under control at that point. He groaned and crossed the street to meet the girls, hoping that Kagome's visit wouldn't take all afternoon.
"Inuyasha!" the girl called Ayumi exclaimed. "It's so great to see you!" She reached out and pulled him into a warm hug; Inuyasha tried very hard not to stiffen up.
"We're going out for burgers," Yuka said. "Kagome says you'll join us?"
Inuyasha looked at Kagome, his face clearly saying What the fuck? to her. Kagome shrugged, as if to reply, it can't be helped.
"Do you like burgers, Inuyasha?" asked Eri. She stepped forward and made to hook her arm through his, but Inuyasha growled slightly and pulled Kagome to him instead.
"Sorry," Kagome said apologetically. "He's a little…possessive." She nudged her mate. "What in the seven hells are you doing?" she whispered. "Be. Nice."
"I. Am," he hissed back. "Tell your friends to keep their paws off me, or I won't be."
"Are you guys coming?" Yuka called. Inuyasha and Kagome looked up to see that the girls were already halfway down the block. Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's hand, squeezing it in reassurance.
"Yup!" Kagome called back, pulling Inuyasha after her. He rolled his eyes and allowed her to bring him along. This better be good, he thought sourly.
"Wow, this is a burger?" Inuyasha said, savoring the delectable taste of meat, veggies, mayo, and ketchup, all bound together by a bun, in his mouth. "This is fucking outstanding."
Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi exchanged scandalized looks. Kagome nudged her mate and husband. "Inuyasha," she said warningly, "language, please."
"What?" he replied, ignoring her friends' horrified faces. He pulled a piece off his burger and held it out to Kagome. "Eat."
When Kagome opened her mouth and accepted the burger from his hands, Eri audibly gasped. Inuyasha and Kagome looked at her, surprised, Kagome slowly chewing her burger.
"Did you just…feed her?" Eri managed to choke out.
Kagome shrugged. "He does it all the time. It's not a big deal."
"It's kind of gross," Eri said.
Kagome laughed. "There's a lot you don't know."
"So tell us," Yuka challenged her friend. Her face softened. "Please?"
"You don't know what it was like, when you were missing," Ayumi added. "Your family was frantic. They were sitting in that old shed on your property, saying that a well was missing? That you had gone down the well, only now the well was gone and they didn't know if you could get back? None of them would leave that spot, but they also wouldn't tell us anything else that was going on. Can you tell us?"
Inuyasha and Kagome looked at each other. Inuyasha reached down and picked up Kagome's hand, rubbing small circles on the back of her hand.
"Whatever you want to tell them, koishii," he said softly, "I will support you."
Kagome smiled, and took a deep breath, holding tight to Inuyasha's hand. "It's quite a story," she said, tightness in her voice.
"Then tell us whatever you can," Eri replied.
Kagome checked to make sure no one was listening; the restaurant was packed and busy. No one was paying attention to them. She looked at Inuyasha again; he nodded. She needed all his support.
"On my fifteenth birthday," Kagome began, "I was looking for our cat, Buyo, in the shed that houses the Bone-Eater's Well, and suddenly a flash of light burst out of the well, destroying the seals that held the lid of the well in place. Some long, tentacle-like hands reached out and grabbed me, pulling me into the well. It was a giant centipede demon. I reached out and zapped the demon, but when I came through the well, I wasn't on my family's property anymore. I was in the middle of a forest, and the centipede was coming after me. Not too far away, sealed to a tree with an arrow, was a boy wearing a red haori and hakama." She looked at Inuyasha; he nodded. Kagome looked at her friends.
"He had long silver hair and dog ears. He was a hanyou: half human, half youkai. He asked me to unseal him from the tree; I did, and he destroyed the demon. But not before she punctured my side and caused a large jewel to fly from my abdomen. The Shikon no Tama." Kagome sighed and held tightly to Inuyasha's hand. "The truth is that I'm a powerful miko, Inuyasha is a powerful hanyou, and until five months ago, I was traveling regularly back and forth between here and the Sengoku Jidai." She paused. "I was never sick; I only missed school once or twice in those years due to illness. All the other times, I was in Sengoku Jidai. With Inuyasha. Battling demons."
Kagome didn't reveal all the parts of her life from the past several years. She left out some of the more dangerous aspects: she left out Inuyasha cutting off his brother's arm; she left out Mukostu; they knew a little about Kikyo, but she left out how Kikyo tried to kill her. But she told them about how she shattered the Shikon no Tama, and how she and Inuyasha were forced to team up to collect the jewel shards. She told them about Miroku, Sango, and Shippo. She told them about Naraku, and about being trapped in the jewel after they defeated him. She told them how Inuyasha found her, how she destroyed the jewel, and how they ended up back here, with no way to get back. She told them about her miko training, and about marrying Inuyasha. She left out the mating part, and his new position as Prince of the West.
Inuyasha sat quietly the whole time, ignoring his burger and focusing all his attention on Kagome. When her breath hitched, he placed a hand on her shoulder or brushed her hair from her face. When she shuddered, he pulled her into his lap, holding her close, allowing his youki to comfort her and give her strength. He allowed her to tell the whole story, as much as she wanted. No matter how he felt about her revealing their darkest secrets. These are her fucking friends, he told himself. They won't tell anyone.
When Kagome finally grew quiet, her friends sat back in their seats, shocked. Inuyasha studied their faces. The one called Eri was red; her scent was angry and confused. She might be a problem.
The other two, on the other hand, were different. Ayumi's scent was full of sadness, of pity, for what Kagome had experienced. And the one called Yuka was…oh shit.
Why hadn't he noticed it before?
He'd keep this revelation quiet for now.
The girls were quiet for a long time. Kagome's scent was full of nervousness and fear. He pulled her close. He knew she was worried about how her friends would react.
Finally, Eri spoke. "Do you expect us to believe this?" she said slowly. "That you've spent the better part of over two years living in Sengoku Jidai? Fighting demons? That your incredibly hot—sorry, he is," she added when Kagome growled, "—husband is half-demon? That you weren't really sick?" She laughed bitterly. "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard."
"Eri…" began Kagome.
"No, really, Kagome," Eri continued, "I can't believe you would make up something like this! Were you really out of school because you were in and out of treatment for your mental health?" She scoffed. "Youkai among us," she added. "It's nothing but a fairy tale!"
"Eri," Ayumi responded, "do you really think so?"
"It's not a fairy tale," said Yuka softly. Everyone's eyes turned to her. Yuka blushed.
"What do you mean, Yuka?" Ayumi asked.
"I mean that I believe Kagome and Inuyasha-sama," Yuka said. Kagome and Inuyasha's eyes widened at Yuka's use of the honorific for Inuyasha.
"Yuka…" Kagome said.
Yuka held up a hand to stop her. When Kagome closed her mouth, Yuka rolled up the sleeve of her uniform shirt. Underneath was a band of leather with two beads, used to adjust the size of the bracelet.
Just like Inuyasha's.
Kagome gasped. Inuyasha growled low.
"What are you?" he asked her.
Yuka paused. "I'm a bakeneko."
Kagome gasped; Inuyasha flexed his claws under his disguise. "I can't believe I didn't detect your youki before this."
"At school you have to be good about disguising it," she told him. "Otherwise you'd have all these different youki brushing up against each other, causing all kinds of problems. They teach us to hide it at a very young age; it's required that we be able to disguise it if we want to go to regular school."
"My nieces are quite good at this," he replied.
"You aren't," she observed.
"First, I've only been here five months," he answered. "And second, I don't really give a shit about hiding my youki, unless I need to."
"The Prince of the West would do well to keep himself more effectively disguised," Yuka said, bowing her head slightly as she admonished him. "I'm sure the House of the West has many enemies. You don't want to make yourself a target, my Lord."
"What in the seven hells is going on here?" Eri asked incredulously.
"Do you serve our house, bakeneko?" Inuyasha asked, ignoring Eri.
"My family has been loyal subjects of your brother for hundreds of years," Yuka replied. "The Western Lord has always taken good care of us. You have nothing to fear from me."
"Western Lord?" squeaked Eri.
Inuyasha smiled. "This Inuyasha appreciates your fealty," he told her. He turned to Eri and Ayumi. "Do you have any more doubts?" he asked them, smirking.
Eri turned to Yuka. "You're really not lying?" Yuka shook her head. Eri turned to Inuyasha. "You're really a demon lord?"
"Keh," Inuyasha responded. "Prince. My brother's the Lord. I'm just his heir."
Lastly, Eri turned to Kagome. "And you've been traveling to the past all this time?" Kagome nodded. Eri leaned back and crossed her arms. She was silent for several moments.
"Holy fuck," she breathed at last, drawing disbelieving looks from the other girls at her language. "This is some crazy shit."
"What will you do now, Kagome?" Ayumi asked her.
Kagome shrugged. "The same thing I would have done if I hadn't married Inuyasha," she replied. "Graduate high school. Go to college. The only difference is that I have a job at a tech giant waiting for me after college if I want it." Her face softened as she turned to look at her mate. "I think, though, that our plans are to stay at the shrine. Help my family. Keep Inuyasha close to his forest, where he feels safe and at home." Inuyasha smiled and gently touched her cheek with a delicate hand. Kagome reached up and held his hand with her own. "Live with my husband. Have lots of babies." His smile became a smirk; he couldn't help it.
Eri frowned. "Can you prove any of this?"
"We can't remove our cloaks out in the open, Eri!" Yuka admonished her.
"No, you can't," said Kagome. "But does this work instead?"
Kagome held out her hand. She closed her eyes and reached into her third eye, drawing out her power. The girls gasped; her hand glowed pink and a small pillar of light emerged from it. Kagome opened her eyes, and allowed the light to remain for a few seconds, then gently called her power back.
Ayumi looked astonished. Eri looked pensive. Yuka looked terrified.
Inuyasha saw Yuka's face. "Don't worry, bakeneko," he said gruffly. "My wife will not purify you. She has excellent control over her aura."
"Purify?" Ayumi asked in a hushed tone.
"She can turn youkai to ash," Inuyasha said bluntly.
"Holy shit," said Eri again. She looked at Inuyasha and Kagome. "I believe you both," she said. "That thing you did with your hand, Kagome…" she paused. "It was awesome. I believe you."
"What can we do to help you?" Ayumi asked.
"The Prince of the West doesn't need our help," Yuka said.
Inuyasha hushed her with a glance. "There is one thing you can do," he said. The girls looked at him expectantly. "Don't tell our secret," he continued. "The bakeneko…Yuka…is right. The House of the West has enemies. We need to protect Kagome. Her power is something that other youkai have already tried to come after her for…twice." He paused for effect. It worked; Eri's eyes grew wide and Ayumi audibly gasped. Only Yuka seemed unsurprised.
"We can do that. We won't tell anyone," Ayumi promised. Eri nodded, still in shock from everything she'd heard and seen.
"And there is one more thing you can do," Inuyasha said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
The girls all looked at him, Kagome included.
His smile grew wider. "You can help me finish off these burgers and fries."
Notes:
Bakeneko are shape-shifting cat youkai who are one-tailed (as opposed to the nekomata, like Kirara, who are two-tailed). The prevailing rumor about bakeneko is that they love to lick lamp oil (because it was often derived from fish oil). Let's hope Yuka hasn't inherited that habit!
See you all at the next update, which will be soon! Thank you again so much for reading 3
