DISCLOSURE STATEMENT: This author has no financial or non-financial relation nor do they possess any right to "Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale" franchise. Full ownership of all characters is the sole intellectual property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Wherever You Will Go
Inuyasha stretched his arms over his head as he inhaled the pungent scent of pine and cold with a soft smile on his face. Why he'd been afraid of medication he'd never know. Sure, at first, it took some adjustments to get it right but now…
Now he felt like himself again. Like a fog had been lifted and he could actually breathe.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome yawned as she stood in the doorframe – a blanket wrapped around her as a groggy pout played on her lips, "You left the door open again. It's cold."
"Then shut the door woman," Inuyasha teased before rolling his eyes when she began trudging outside and sidled up to his side. Wrapping one arm around her, he sighed as his hand gently caressed her arm through the comforter, "Thought you were cold."
"Well its pretty outside," she countered groggily as one hand wormed up to rub the sleep out of her eye, "And I need to make sure you don't go on a run. We've got to leave for your appointment soon."
Wrinkling his nose, Inuyasha was rather irked that he'd been found out so easily and that he was so predictable. It seemed like every time they saw the stupid doctor in town, which had been required every week for the past seven weeks, he came back feeling like shit. Being questioned and pushed to see if he'd react while this new person, who had to be younger than him, scribbled on their pad. Worse yet, he apparently had been such a concern to the demon community that they'd contracted out and brought in some student from…shit what was the name of that stupid country….Korea. They'd brought in a demon from Korea who knew mind crap. Koga and Kagome both reassured him it was not just for him – that with the crocodile being basically fired from his job there was no doctor so they had to bring in someone else to take care of all the mentally ill patients.
They said that but, as far as Inuyasha could tell, he was the only mentally ill demon that existed in the whole of Japan. Why else would this stupid place only have one doctor who was that bad at his job?
"I know you don't like it," Kagome offered sympathetically, "But you said last night you are feeling more like yourself."
Inuyasha regretted that comment. It was dirty to use his own words against him. Even if they were true.
"And besides, you'll get your shots today too," Kagome hummed as she leaned her head against his shoulder, "And then we can go wherever you want."
"I do miss your mom," Inuyasha sighed in a resigned fashion before he wrapped his arm around the slightly shivering miko and guided her to turn around, "Come on. Let's get you inside."
"I was thinking for our wedding that we should get something to represent our friends," Kagome hummed as Inuyasha helped her up the steps, "You know. Navy and coral colored flowers or something. A little orange thrown in."
"That sounds like a hot mess," Inuyasha snickered, "Like someone threw up and thought it was art."
Kagome pouted as Inuyasha closed the door behind them and turned to face her.
"What about, oh I don't know, bronze and ivory or something?" Inuyasha teased as he walked passed her and opened one of the cabinets in search of something to snack on, "You know their weapons."
Thankfully, Kagome was of the same opinion as him. Their "wedding" had been a terrible, meaningless experience and both of them wanted something, anything else. It was mutually agreed upon that it be at the shrine and under the tree where they first met. Her grandfather would officiate. It'd be nice and quiet and Inuyasha insisted on wearing his "normal" clothes and...
Inuysha found a bag of potato chips and began munching happily as he watched Kagome drop the blanket and head towards the bedroom. She was definitely beginning to show and had put on a very cute amount of baby fat. Just enough to make her look puffy which somehow made her that much more adorable. More cuddly too if he was being honest and she was definitely a bit more clingy recently which he wasn't complaining about in the slightest.
One of his ears twitched towards the door before his face turned as well. His chewing slowing as he listened to rustling just outside the door. Sniffing a few times, he couldn't find any disturbing things scent wise but still there was something strange about it. Something wrong.
"I want to go by that sweet ice place again if they're open," Kagome called out from the bedroom, "I've been craving that lemon thing they had."
"Thought you liked the orange one?" Inuyasha replied distractedly as his ears adjusted slightly trying to detect whether there was actually movement outside or whether he was just imagining things. He'd gotten better about his paranoia, more aware when his mind was playing tricks on him, but that didn't meant it had gone away completely. More than once, he'd woke up in a cold sweat believing her heard something outside only to go out and find nothing. It'd happened more and more recently too. Probably something he needed to discuss with Mei at his next appointment.
Sighing, Inuyasha wrinkled his nose as the rustling happened again. Definitely something that needed to be addressed. It was probably a squirrel or something and here he was getting fixated on it.
"Yeah but I want the lemon one this time," her voice getting stronger as she came back into the room, "What're You..."
"I thought I heard something outside," he explained softly as he glanced over his shoulder before snorting and grinning at his stupidly bundled up wife who could easily be mistaken for a marshmallow. Puffy jacket, puffy boots, puffy mittens, puffy hat, puffy face.
"Its not that cold, Kagome," Inuyasha snickered as he turned to fully face her and half-sat on the edge of their couch, "You're going to get overheated and then I'll be stuck carrying all that."
"Maybe not to you but I almost froze just now," the miko humphed as she folded her arms over her chest and glared, "Are you saying you don't want your pregnant wife to be comfortable?"
Inuyasha had to bite his lip to keep from grinning before he shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"No. Just saying I think she's being stupid and I'll be carrying all that around town."
"Well I want to be warm when we go down the mountain," Kagome countered acidly, "Forgive me for wanting to be comfortable."
"You won't be comfortable. You're going to be overheated," he warned affectionately before glancing out the window again with a soft sigh as another rustle had his ears whipping that way, "I swear I'm hearing something but, you know…"
He gestured towards his head as he often did when he thought something was happening that was more based in his illness than reality. His subtle and silent way of letting her know he wasn't okay. Mei had actually suggested it. A light scratch on his temple whenever he needed to express he thought something might be wrong. Pinching his nose when a meltdown might be incoming. Subtle and unnoticeable to those who didn't know what it was.
Closing her eyes, Kagome tried to see if she sensed anything outside and was pleasantly surprised to find that one of two somethings did indeed hit her radar. Okay, maybe not pleasantly but…but it was better than learning Inuyasha was devolving or something. Definitely better to be attacked by something real than something imagined.
"No there is something. Two blips actually but they're small," Kagome reassured him before giggling at how strange a thing that was to reassure someone about. Under normal circumstances, she imagined telling someone there was something outside would be a bad thing but the relieved look in his eyes told her he welcomed that news wholeheartedly.
"Are they close?" he asked wearily and Kagome shook her head.
"The officers did say there were a few small youkai who live up here," Kagome soothed, "You know, sprites and things. And the aura didn't feel menacing. They're probably just foraging."
Inuyasha let out a long exhale before smiling at her.
"Probably," he agreed as he placed the half-eaten bag of chips on the counter before moving to the bedroom, "I'll go change and grab my jacket and then we'll go."
"Sounds like a plan."
Sango had been withdrawing more and more recently – which concerned her husband greatly. For whatever reason, the sixth winter passing without Inuyasha or Kagome returning bothered her greatly. It had been twelve years since the slayer last saw the woman she considered her sister. Six years since Inuyasha, who she also considered a brother, had left. It was more the manner in which he left that was the source of much of the slayer's anxiety truth be told. Sometimes Sango would go to the well and drop something in just to watch it disappear – although she denied doing so when asked.
She always seemed disappointed when there was nothing there the next day.
"Do you think he found her?" Sango asked her husband one day who smiled and nodded – understanding immediately who she was referring to, "Still, I worry…he was not doing well…"
"Inuyasha is not Kohaku," Miroku comforted his wife softly and she let out a shuddering sigh.
"I didn't even realize something was wrong," she mumbled, "I should've but I didn't. Inuyasha seemed to be doing so much worse. He couldn't even hide it…"
"I'm sure Kagome helped him fight his inner demons," Miroku reassured her before chuckling and shaking his head at the unintentional pun.
"I hope so. I don't want her to feel…to feel like I did. Like I do," Sango managed before letting out a shuddering sob, "I keep wondering whether I could've done anything differently. Its been….it's almost been ten years and I still…and then Nao looks so much like him, acts so much like him and…and I wonder…you know with Kagome and Kikyo if he might be…"
Sango choked as one of her many fears was spoken out loud.
"Will I fail my son too? I failed Kohaku. Inuyasha. Will I….will he…"
"Come here," Miroku ordered gently and the slayer complied and sank into his embrace, "I know it hurts. I know it does but…but what happened was not your fault. It wasn't and you won't fail any of your children. You're a wonderful mother."
Sango merely sobbed.
Two little beady eyes watched as the couple left to head down the mountain before glancing at the house he'd been scouting these past few months. In that time, he'd learned their habits, their schedule. How far Inuyasha ran every morning. It'd be far too easy to put the doc's plan into action because those two were far too trusting. The little monkey sprite sighed as he stretched his arms above his head and leapt up to a tree branch to wait for them to return.
That croc better keep his end of the bargain after this was said and done. Otherwise, there might be an 'accident' in his future too.
