CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
*
The bucket tottered around the side of Kaede's house, teetering dangerously on its tiny fox feet. When water spilled over the side, Shippo staggered and let the bucket fall. Then he collapsed against it, gasping.
He wiped the water from his small face. Ever since Kagome had left, Shippo had been busying himself with chores around Kaede's house. It kept him from thinking about the horrible things that had happened to Inuyasha.
At the thought of Inuyasha, more tears came to his eyes. First he had lost Momma and Poppa, and now Inuyasha and probably Kagome too. The thought made him want to curl up under his tail and cry again, but he wouldn't let himself. After all, Kaede had asked for this water.
Shippo stood up and brushed himself off. He was about to pick up the enormous bucket again, when something caught his eye in the fields in the distance.
Two figures were walking over the hill, hand in hand. One of them was definitely Kagome, with her weird little uniform and big bag. Shippo shielded his eyes. The sun was shining brightly behind them, and a ray of it turned the companion's hair a shimmering silver...
"Inuyasha!" Shippo shrieked.
He raced toward them as fast as he could, tripping on his feet more than once. It was Inuyasha, standing next to Kagome in what looked like one of Miroku's dark blue robes. Shippo launched himself at Inuyasha. The half-demon caught him in mid-air. "Inuyasha! Is it really you?"
"Course it is," Inuyasha said, dropping Shippo on Kagome's shoulder. "Who else would I be?"
Two other figures ran around Kaede's house, hearing Shippo's yelling. "Shippo, what are-" Miroku started to say. Then he and Sango stared at Inuyasha, speechless for the moment. The silence was broken when Inuyasha called out, "I want my clothes back; if I came back naked you couldn't've buried me in them. And what are you gawkin' at?"
"Inuyasha," Miroku said faintly. "You've... come back."
Inuyasha crossed his arms. "Disappointed?" His tough-guy attitude was marred by Shippo hugging one of his shoulders.
Sango and Miroku began running over, with wide, slightly desperate smiles on their faces. "But how's this possible?" Sango asked, gripping Kagome's arm. "Inuyasha, we saw you die..."
"Yeah, ya did," Inuyasha said. "You better ask Kagome. She knows more about it than I do..."
Kagome flushed and looked away. A part of her past shame and fear had returned to her mind, now that Miroku and Sango's faces showed their disbelief. Sesshoumaru might have the one to actually resurrect Inuyasha, but Kagome had struck the deal. She'd made the first move, not Sesshoumaru. Unconsciously she leaned against Inuyasha, felt his unseen fingers touch the small of her back.
The hanging screen was pushed aside, and old Kaede stepped out into the sunlight. For a moment she thought that she had dreamed the tall, silver-haired boy at Kagome's side. But it was Inuyasha, half-dressed in one of Miroku's outer robes, with Shippo clinging to his bare shoulder. He stood closer to Kagome, who was studying her feet.
"... all along? It was a part of your plan?" Sango asked.
"Why didn't you tell us, Kagome?" Miroku added.
The old woman closed her remaining eye, sighing deeply. The mark of conscience was printed on Kagome's face. She had done something to return Inuyasha's spirit to the world of the living. It was something, Kaede thought, that no human was capable of doing -- not even a powerful priestess. And normally, demon and human alike, no creature restored the dead for good purposes. Kikyo was proof enough of that, a tormented dead woman with a clay body.
And yet, she thought with a smile, I know what it is that prompted Kagome to risk her own soul, to return Inuyasha's among us. The old woman stepped forward into the meadow on the edge of the village.
"... I feel fine. I'm a little stiff," Inuyasha was saying gruffly. "Like nothing ever happened to me."
"But you remember everything?" Miroku was asking, rubbing his chin. "Yet... what about the time you were actually dead?"
"Nothing," Inuyasha said, scratching his head. "Can we go inside? This robe of yours is pretty damn drafty."
Kaede smiled slightly as Kagome led Inuyasha toward her. The half-demon looked up from trying to brush Shippo off his chest. Her eye took in the unmarked skin of his arms, face and chest. A faint glimmer of pale energy lingered over his heart, but what that meant, Kaede was not sure. What she saw most clearly was the faint, unmistakable look in Inuyasha's eyes when he looked at Kagome's bowed head. It was a look that Kaede had not seen there often -- the look of one who knows he is cared for.
"Welcome back, Inuyasha," the old priestess said quietly.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
The bucket tottered around the side of Kaede's house, teetering dangerously on its tiny fox feet. When water spilled over the side, Shippo staggered and let the bucket fall. Then he collapsed against it, gasping.
He wiped the water from his small face. Ever since Kagome had left, Shippo had been busying himself with chores around Kaede's house. It kept him from thinking about the horrible things that had happened to Inuyasha.
At the thought of Inuyasha, more tears came to his eyes. First he had lost Momma and Poppa, and now Inuyasha and probably Kagome too. The thought made him want to curl up under his tail and cry again, but he wouldn't let himself. After all, Kaede had asked for this water.
Shippo stood up and brushed himself off. He was about to pick up the enormous bucket again, when something caught his eye in the fields in the distance.
Two figures were walking over the hill, hand in hand. One of them was definitely Kagome, with her weird little uniform and big bag. Shippo shielded his eyes. The sun was shining brightly behind them, and a ray of it turned the companion's hair a shimmering silver...
"Inuyasha!" Shippo shrieked.
He raced toward them as fast as he could, tripping on his feet more than once. It was Inuyasha, standing next to Kagome in what looked like one of Miroku's dark blue robes. Shippo launched himself at Inuyasha. The half-demon caught him in mid-air. "Inuyasha! Is it really you?"
"Course it is," Inuyasha said, dropping Shippo on Kagome's shoulder. "Who else would I be?"
Two other figures ran around Kaede's house, hearing Shippo's yelling. "Shippo, what are-" Miroku started to say. Then he and Sango stared at Inuyasha, speechless for the moment. The silence was broken when Inuyasha called out, "I want my clothes back; if I came back naked you couldn't've buried me in them. And what are you gawkin' at?"
"Inuyasha," Miroku said faintly. "You've... come back."
Inuyasha crossed his arms. "Disappointed?" His tough-guy attitude was marred by Shippo hugging one of his shoulders.
Sango and Miroku began running over, with wide, slightly desperate smiles on their faces. "But how's this possible?" Sango asked, gripping Kagome's arm. "Inuyasha, we saw you die..."
"Yeah, ya did," Inuyasha said. "You better ask Kagome. She knows more about it than I do..."
Kagome flushed and looked away. A part of her past shame and fear had returned to her mind, now that Miroku and Sango's faces showed their disbelief. Sesshoumaru might have the one to actually resurrect Inuyasha, but Kagome had struck the deal. She'd made the first move, not Sesshoumaru. Unconsciously she leaned against Inuyasha, felt his unseen fingers touch the small of her back.
The hanging screen was pushed aside, and old Kaede stepped out into the sunlight. For a moment she thought that she had dreamed the tall, silver-haired boy at Kagome's side. But it was Inuyasha, half-dressed in one of Miroku's outer robes, with Shippo clinging to his bare shoulder. He stood closer to Kagome, who was studying her feet.
"... all along? It was a part of your plan?" Sango asked.
"Why didn't you tell us, Kagome?" Miroku added.
The old woman closed her remaining eye, sighing deeply. The mark of conscience was printed on Kagome's face. She had done something to return Inuyasha's spirit to the world of the living. It was something, Kaede thought, that no human was capable of doing -- not even a powerful priestess. And normally, demon and human alike, no creature restored the dead for good purposes. Kikyo was proof enough of that, a tormented dead woman with a clay body.
And yet, she thought with a smile, I know what it is that prompted Kagome to risk her own soul, to return Inuyasha's among us. The old woman stepped forward into the meadow on the edge of the village.
"... I feel fine. I'm a little stiff," Inuyasha was saying gruffly. "Like nothing ever happened to me."
"But you remember everything?" Miroku was asking, rubbing his chin. "Yet... what about the time you were actually dead?"
"Nothing," Inuyasha said, scratching his head. "Can we go inside? This robe of yours is pretty damn drafty."
Kaede smiled slightly as Kagome led Inuyasha toward her. The half-demon looked up from trying to brush Shippo off his chest. Her eye took in the unmarked skin of his arms, face and chest. A faint glimmer of pale energy lingered over his heart, but what that meant, Kaede was not sure. What she saw most clearly was the faint, unmistakable look in Inuyasha's eyes when he looked at Kagome's bowed head. It was a look that Kaede had not seen there often -- the look of one who knows he is cared for.
"Welcome back, Inuyasha," the old priestess said quietly.
TO BE CONTINUED