Disclaimer: Its in Chapter One. If you've read any of my previous multi-
chapter fanfics, this is probably a familiar pattern.
I have yet to have really placed this fanfiction in catagories (though I'm sure it will develop into action/adventure), nor have I put a definate rating on it. It's in progress, so the story needs to mature and meld together.
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I brought him inside for tea. I poured it into the cups as calmly as I could, trying to not let the shock rattle my frame. He never stopped smiling, and I tried to return the gesture in my own expressions.
Sipping from my own cup, I knelt opposite of him, the small, black table between us. Somehow, I was able to keep my nerves still. And how still they were.
He put his vessel down and looked at me, no change occurring in his face. "I'm sure you're little head's just riddled with questions, Kagome- chan. You can go ahead and ask all you wish. I'll answer as much as I can."
But I remained quiet, studying him again. My father, a mountain of a man, had a caramel hide and defined muscle from all his outdoor exercise. He is, or he rather used to be, a sailor. He hauled up large, wooden crates to the ships, pulled ropes and chains daily, and was well respected for his stamina, strength, and friendly attitude. That is the man before me now.
"Kagome-chan, you're awfully quiet. Well, I suppose you would be. You have a right to it."
I nodded. This was him. This was my father, exactly like he was that morning, when he left for work; the last time I saw him alive, eight years ago today. He wasn't that pale, still form in the coffin, covered mostly by wooden panels to hide his mangled limbs, and my mother, her abdomen swollen with Souta's unborn body, pouting over him.
My heart, instead of its usual double-pulse that it was designed for, beat a triplet instead. Sensing my anxiety, Papa stood up and held his hand to me, inviting me to do the same. I took it and pulled myself upon my feet. He hugged me again, reassuring that it was him. I could feel Buyo rubbing around our legs, meowing in a sort of happy cry. He seemed to have been saying the same thing that now went through my mind: He's back.
Mama fainted, and Grandpa's immediate action was to "bid the illusion away" with salts and paper charms. Papa only laughed at his father-in-law, saying that he was no mononoke or anything of the sort. Then he picked Mother up in his arms and carried her to her room, leaving Grandpa and Souta feeling rather estranged.
Souta's eyes were full of questions, but his mind didn't seem to know how to convey them, so when he tried to speak, it seemed jumbled and half- thought. I tried to comfort him as much as I could, but I didn't have any decent answers for him. He's never seen our father before today, and I had little idea how to sympathize with him.
Grandpa went to think this over in the temple. He believed with prayer, he could find the truth in this. At least, that's what he was saying. As much doubt as he tried to emit, I could really tell that he was happy to see his daughter's husband again and really wanted him to be real.
I knocked on the closed door. "Mama?...Papa?" Soon he opened the door. "Is Mama all right?" I was worried about her, but I was more worried that he might not be their anymore.
He seemed to know this and grinned. "Why don't you come in? She's just a bit shocked, which is understandable. I suppose I would be too in such a situation." He put his arm around my shoulders and brought me with him to sit by her bed. When she stirred, a stray hair fell in her face. He reached over and smoothed it back.
A few days passed before everyone decided to accept him as the real thing. Though he didn't go back to work (how could he?), he would not remain still. He tried to spend as much time with Souta as possible, in attempt to make up for all those years that he missed. And, like a father is supposed to, he became very interested in what kind of social life I had, particularly my love life, that I was having. He seemed very fond of Houjou-kun, telling me that I should probably marry him someday. I blushed and disregarded it.
"Say," Grandpa said to him one day, "Which do you think sound's better to you? Chronic head-cold from keeping her window open at night, or inflammation of her thyroids?"
"Huh?" He looked at Grandpa in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Which should I tell to Kagome's school?"
Papa blinked and turned to me. "Kagome-chan? Is something wrong? Are you sick?"
I twitched my eyebrow. "Ji-chan... he doesn't know about the well."
"Well?"
Grandpa looked up. "Oh yeah. I forgot that we didn't tell you about Kagome's travels into the Sengoku Jidai." He proceeded to explain the matter to Father about InuYasha and the Shikon no Tama. This question-and- answer service continued until we were interrupted by a certain impatient hanyou.
"Kagome! You've wasted enough time here! We've got stuff to do!" InuYasha shouted, not paying any mind to the large man that was now towering over him with an angry face.
"Show some respect when addressing my daughter, whelp!" Father growled.
InuYasha looked at him with a puzzled eye. "Your...daughter? Kagome, I thought you said your father was dead."
"He is, or he was, but now he's back," I tried to explain it, but I didn't really know how.
InuYasha's brows knitted together, and his face became serious. "Is that so?"
I nodded. "OK, now that that's cleared, let's hurry and..." I grabbed his hand and tried to go out the door, but he remained still.
"Wait a minute, Kagome. It's not everyday somebody comes back from the dead." He stepped closer to Father and stared him in the eye. "Why are you here?"
Father returned the stare. "I don't know."
"The Hell you don't."
"InuYasha!" I cried to him, "I know this is unusual, but Grandpa hasn't noticed anything unusual about him, nor have I. It's not like there's jaki coming from him, and I don't think that he's some lifeless doll. Let's just go back."
"'Some lifeless doll?'" InuYasha repeated. I inadvertently struck a cord in him. One connected with Kikyou.
"I... didn't mean it like that. Now come on. Let's go."
InuYasha silently complied this time and we left. I'll leave the rest to Ji-chan, I thought.
I have yet to have really placed this fanfiction in catagories (though I'm sure it will develop into action/adventure), nor have I put a definate rating on it. It's in progress, so the story needs to mature and meld together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I brought him inside for tea. I poured it into the cups as calmly as I could, trying to not let the shock rattle my frame. He never stopped smiling, and I tried to return the gesture in my own expressions.
Sipping from my own cup, I knelt opposite of him, the small, black table between us. Somehow, I was able to keep my nerves still. And how still they were.
He put his vessel down and looked at me, no change occurring in his face. "I'm sure you're little head's just riddled with questions, Kagome- chan. You can go ahead and ask all you wish. I'll answer as much as I can."
But I remained quiet, studying him again. My father, a mountain of a man, had a caramel hide and defined muscle from all his outdoor exercise. He is, or he rather used to be, a sailor. He hauled up large, wooden crates to the ships, pulled ropes and chains daily, and was well respected for his stamina, strength, and friendly attitude. That is the man before me now.
"Kagome-chan, you're awfully quiet. Well, I suppose you would be. You have a right to it."
I nodded. This was him. This was my father, exactly like he was that morning, when he left for work; the last time I saw him alive, eight years ago today. He wasn't that pale, still form in the coffin, covered mostly by wooden panels to hide his mangled limbs, and my mother, her abdomen swollen with Souta's unborn body, pouting over him.
My heart, instead of its usual double-pulse that it was designed for, beat a triplet instead. Sensing my anxiety, Papa stood up and held his hand to me, inviting me to do the same. I took it and pulled myself upon my feet. He hugged me again, reassuring that it was him. I could feel Buyo rubbing around our legs, meowing in a sort of happy cry. He seemed to have been saying the same thing that now went through my mind: He's back.
Mama fainted, and Grandpa's immediate action was to "bid the illusion away" with salts and paper charms. Papa only laughed at his father-in-law, saying that he was no mononoke or anything of the sort. Then he picked Mother up in his arms and carried her to her room, leaving Grandpa and Souta feeling rather estranged.
Souta's eyes were full of questions, but his mind didn't seem to know how to convey them, so when he tried to speak, it seemed jumbled and half- thought. I tried to comfort him as much as I could, but I didn't have any decent answers for him. He's never seen our father before today, and I had little idea how to sympathize with him.
Grandpa went to think this over in the temple. He believed with prayer, he could find the truth in this. At least, that's what he was saying. As much doubt as he tried to emit, I could really tell that he was happy to see his daughter's husband again and really wanted him to be real.
I knocked on the closed door. "Mama?...Papa?" Soon he opened the door. "Is Mama all right?" I was worried about her, but I was more worried that he might not be their anymore.
He seemed to know this and grinned. "Why don't you come in? She's just a bit shocked, which is understandable. I suppose I would be too in such a situation." He put his arm around my shoulders and brought me with him to sit by her bed. When she stirred, a stray hair fell in her face. He reached over and smoothed it back.
A few days passed before everyone decided to accept him as the real thing. Though he didn't go back to work (how could he?), he would not remain still. He tried to spend as much time with Souta as possible, in attempt to make up for all those years that he missed. And, like a father is supposed to, he became very interested in what kind of social life I had, particularly my love life, that I was having. He seemed very fond of Houjou-kun, telling me that I should probably marry him someday. I blushed and disregarded it.
"Say," Grandpa said to him one day, "Which do you think sound's better to you? Chronic head-cold from keeping her window open at night, or inflammation of her thyroids?"
"Huh?" He looked at Grandpa in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Which should I tell to Kagome's school?"
Papa blinked and turned to me. "Kagome-chan? Is something wrong? Are you sick?"
I twitched my eyebrow. "Ji-chan... he doesn't know about the well."
"Well?"
Grandpa looked up. "Oh yeah. I forgot that we didn't tell you about Kagome's travels into the Sengoku Jidai." He proceeded to explain the matter to Father about InuYasha and the Shikon no Tama. This question-and- answer service continued until we were interrupted by a certain impatient hanyou.
"Kagome! You've wasted enough time here! We've got stuff to do!" InuYasha shouted, not paying any mind to the large man that was now towering over him with an angry face.
"Show some respect when addressing my daughter, whelp!" Father growled.
InuYasha looked at him with a puzzled eye. "Your...daughter? Kagome, I thought you said your father was dead."
"He is, or he was, but now he's back," I tried to explain it, but I didn't really know how.
InuYasha's brows knitted together, and his face became serious. "Is that so?"
I nodded. "OK, now that that's cleared, let's hurry and..." I grabbed his hand and tried to go out the door, but he remained still.
"Wait a minute, Kagome. It's not everyday somebody comes back from the dead." He stepped closer to Father and stared him in the eye. "Why are you here?"
Father returned the stare. "I don't know."
"The Hell you don't."
"InuYasha!" I cried to him, "I know this is unusual, but Grandpa hasn't noticed anything unusual about him, nor have I. It's not like there's jaki coming from him, and I don't think that he's some lifeless doll. Let's just go back."
"'Some lifeless doll?'" InuYasha repeated. I inadvertently struck a cord in him. One connected with Kikyou.
"I... didn't mean it like that. Now come on. Let's go."
InuYasha silently complied this time and we left. I'll leave the rest to Ji-chan, I thought.