September 26
I spent a lot of my day at the shrine performing rituals and I gave out some herbs to some of the villagers later. But Inuyasha and I spent the evening at home together. After dinner, we played a few rounds of Uno while Nico lay sprawled out on the back of the couch watching with interest.
"I won!" I exclaimed happily.
"Alright fine, you won," Inuyasha said bitterly. Then he kissed my lips. "I'll go make that tea."
I gave him another kiss then he went to the kitchen to get the tea while I rubbed Nico behind his ears.
"What kind of tea did you say you wanted?"
"I said I wanted tea?" I asked.
"What...yes, you did."
"I don't remember."
"We had a whole conversation about it before we started the game."
"Oh, okay." It was such a strange feeling. I genuinely didn't remember it. "I guess I'll just have chamomile."
"This is like the third time this week you forgot something you said to me."
"I'm sorry, honey. Sango did mention one of the more obscure pregnancy symptoms is to be forgetful."
Then there was a knock on the door. Inuyasha answered it and it was Kaede. "Hey Kaede, what brings you here?"
"I was just wondering if Miroku and Sango are here," Kaede said.
"No, they're not."
"Oh dear," Kaede said, sounding worried.
"Come in," Inuyasha said to her. He closed the door behind her. "Is something wrong?"
"Miroku and Sango should have been back by now. They went to the demon slayer village and Rin and I have had the children at my house."
Now I was worried too. "When were they supposed to be back?"
"Over three hours ago," Kaede replied.
Inuyasha and I exchanged a concerned look.
"Maybe something held them up?" Inuyasha suggested.
"I hope so. It's not like Miroku and Sango to be late, especially where their kids are concerned."
"Do you want us to take them for the night, Kaede?" I asked.
"Are you sure?"
"We've got more space than you and Rin do," Inuyasha pointed out. "We don't mind."
"Sure, as long as you're okay with that."
We went with Kaede back to her house to get the kids. When we got there, Rin was playing with them. They seemed oblivious to what was going on probably assuming that their parents would come to get them at some point tonight.
"Auntie Kagome! Uncle Inuyasha!" they said happily when they saw us.
"Hey, little ones," I said. Shinichi ran over to me and I picked him up and hugged him.
"You three are going to come to stay with us tonight," Inuyasha said to them.
"Ooh yay!" Mieko said, jumping up and down with excitement.
"Now let's go back to your house and get your stuff," I said.
"Thank you for taking them," Kaede said to us, quiet enough so the kids wouldn't hear. "Keep us posted if you hear from Miroku and Sango."
"Yeah, we're really worried about them," Rin added.
"So are we," I said.
We went to their house to get a few things for them to stay overnight then we went back to our house. They settled themselves playing with Nico while we set up a place for them to sleep in our nursery.
"Alright, my darlings," I said to them afterward. "Time to get ready for bed."
"Aww, we don't wanna go to bed," Midori said.
"Can we stay up like adults?" Mieko asked.
Inuyasha bent down next to them. "How are you going to grow up to be a big strong adult if you don't go to bed? You're going to end up being short for the rest of your life."
"Really?"
"Yup, so you've got to go to bed."
We took them into the baby's bedroom and helped them change into their pajamas.
"Are you gonna tell us a story like mommy and daddy do?" Mieko asked.
"Of course," I said. I told them a story from my era since they liked those so much. Then we tucked them in.
"Are mommy and daddy gonna be back soon?" Midori asked.
"Of course they will," Inuyasha replied. "They're just running a little late."
"They're going to be so happy to see you when they get back," I said to them. "Sleep well and have sweet dreams."
We turned off the lamp and left the room. Inuyasha made that chamomile tea we were talking about earlier and then we sat by the fire both overcome with concern for our friends.
"Inuyasha, I'm really worried," I said to him. "Kaede is right. It's not like Miroku and Sango to be late."
"I agree. Do you think they're in trouble?"
"I hope not."
"Miroku and Sango have been through a ton of shit before and they always got out of it. Whatever is going on now, I'm sure they're fine."
Inuyasha was probably right. Miroku and Sango were strong and they were always able to get out of difficult situations before. But I know I'm not going to be able to rest properly until our best friends are home safely.
