[Disclaimer: If I was on a desert island, I'd bring all the Inuyasha
characters with me. Then Takahashi-san would come take them all away
AGAIN.]
"Mama, when are we leaving? I want to see Grandma now!" Yumi whined. Kagome and Inuyasha were following the six-year-old girl through the forest towards the well. Yumi was to visit Mrs. Higurashi for the weekend while Miroku and Sango came for a visit.
"Mama, hurry up!! Daddy, make Mama hurry!! I wanna see Grandma!!" yelled the girl. Inuyasha stopped when he reached Yumi and put his hand on her head, between her silvery fuzzy ears. "Your mom will hurry when she's ready. You've been running both of us ragged all morning 'cause you're so excited about seeing Grandma. Slow down for a while."
"Ok, Daddy." Kagome smiled. Yumi was such a pretty little girl, so naïve and innocent. She had no idea what had happened to Sesshoumaru, or even that he was her father. She did know that Auntie Rin was not Kagome's sister. She had inherited her mother's eyes, her mother's laugh, and her mother's personality. Sesshoumaru supplied the ears on top of her head, her delicate features, and the whole being-half-demon thing.
Yumi was happy with her life, though she did not always understand why she sometimes found her mother crying over a neatly folded kimono in a back room of Kaedoe-baa-chan's hut. Then Auntie Rin would come in, usher Yumi out, and console Kagome. They both missed Sesshoumaru, but both had learned to love Inuyasha.
It wasn't as though Kagome hadn't loved Inuyasha before...she had just loved his brother more. She never did figure out why. It could have been the way he looked, elegant and femininely masculine (bishounen, anyone?). It might have been just the way he was. Who he was. But it wasn't.
It was the man inside that Kagome had admired. The one that nobody ever seemed to find out about. The one that was kept hidden behind that cold mask. That Sesshoumaru was the one Kagome had fallen in love with. That Sesshoumaru was the one that she would have spent the rest of her life with.
And then there was Inuyasha. He was the one who had volunteered to be father to the girl. He was the one who would have taken care of Kagome instead of kidnapping her and keeping her in a castle for the rest of her life. The hanyou, who had been looked down upon and shunned all his life, would have truly loved Kagome. And he did. He loved her with all his heart.
"Come ON!!! I wanna see Grandma!!" Yumi shouted again. Inuyasha left Kagome's side and ran to his daughter. He picked her up and set her on his shoulders. "Yeah, Kagome, come on!" he called wryly. Kagome rolled her eyes and ran to catch up with them.
"Is Daddy in trouble?" asked Yumi as Inuyasha turned and began walking quickly towards the well.
"Yeah, Yumi. Daddy's in trouble for making fun of Mama. Never make fun of your mother."
"Or she'll pin you to a tree!" said Yumi, giggling.
"No, Yumi—that was a really bad woman named Kikyo who pinned Daddy to a tree a long time ago," said Kagome.
"The bitch," mumbled Inuyasha under his breath. Kagome's jaw dropped.
"Inuyasha, sit!!"
"What was that for?!"
"I will not let you talk that way around Yumi." She picked up her daughter and proceeded to the well.
&&&12345&&&
"Uncle Souta!!" Yumi jumped down from her mother's arms and ran to say hi to her uncle. Mrs. Higurashi came out into the backyard. Mother and daughter hugged and greeted each other.
"How's Gramps?" asked Kagome. Mrs. Higurashi bit her lower lip.
"Oh, Kagome...he hasn't been doing too well. He's still in the hospital. I was just going to visit him again, when you showed up. I'm glad Yumi could stay with—" The phone rang inside and Kagome's mom hurried to answer it.
Kagome and Inuyasha greeted Souta and talked for a few minutes while Mrs. Higurashi was on the phone. When she returned, she was walking slower and there were tears on her face.
"Mom, what's wrong?" asked Souta. Mrs. Higurashi sniffed and took a deep breath.
"Grandpa just died. He had another heart attack." Inuyasha hugged Kagome and Souta at the same time. All three were crying silently. Yumi looked up from petting the now extremely old Buyo. "What happened?" she asked. Kagome took her in her arms and decided to tell her something.
"Yumi, your great-grandpa died." Yumi's smile faded.
"Why are you so sad, Mama? He's in a good place."
"I know, honey. It's just that...He's the second person I've lost that I don't think I'll ever be able to get over."
"Who was the other one?" Kagome's face became even more somber.
"Your father." [Kss...kss...Luke, I am your father...]
"But Daddy's right there," Yumi argued. Inuyasha kneeled next to Kagome and Yumi.
"I'm not your dad, Yumi. My brother is."
"Where is he now?" Kagome's shoulders shook as she cried into Inuyasha's haori.
"He's gone," said Inuyasha quietly.
"Where did he go?"
"I killed him. For Kagome. I love her."
"And I love Inuyasha," said Kagome. "But I loved Sesshoumaru, too." Inuyasha's ears twitched. He hugged his small family as both girls cried. They cried and they cried and they cried. And he was there for them. Forever.
[I'm going to miss all of you!!! ::sob sob:: But I've got a sequel in the works! Stay tuned for said sequel, telling about how Yumi treats Inuyasha now that she knows he is not her father. Review, monkey.]
"Mama, when are we leaving? I want to see Grandma now!" Yumi whined. Kagome and Inuyasha were following the six-year-old girl through the forest towards the well. Yumi was to visit Mrs. Higurashi for the weekend while Miroku and Sango came for a visit.
"Mama, hurry up!! Daddy, make Mama hurry!! I wanna see Grandma!!" yelled the girl. Inuyasha stopped when he reached Yumi and put his hand on her head, between her silvery fuzzy ears. "Your mom will hurry when she's ready. You've been running both of us ragged all morning 'cause you're so excited about seeing Grandma. Slow down for a while."
"Ok, Daddy." Kagome smiled. Yumi was such a pretty little girl, so naïve and innocent. She had no idea what had happened to Sesshoumaru, or even that he was her father. She did know that Auntie Rin was not Kagome's sister. She had inherited her mother's eyes, her mother's laugh, and her mother's personality. Sesshoumaru supplied the ears on top of her head, her delicate features, and the whole being-half-demon thing.
Yumi was happy with her life, though she did not always understand why she sometimes found her mother crying over a neatly folded kimono in a back room of Kaedoe-baa-chan's hut. Then Auntie Rin would come in, usher Yumi out, and console Kagome. They both missed Sesshoumaru, but both had learned to love Inuyasha.
It wasn't as though Kagome hadn't loved Inuyasha before...she had just loved his brother more. She never did figure out why. It could have been the way he looked, elegant and femininely masculine (bishounen, anyone?). It might have been just the way he was. Who he was. But it wasn't.
It was the man inside that Kagome had admired. The one that nobody ever seemed to find out about. The one that was kept hidden behind that cold mask. That Sesshoumaru was the one Kagome had fallen in love with. That Sesshoumaru was the one that she would have spent the rest of her life with.
And then there was Inuyasha. He was the one who had volunteered to be father to the girl. He was the one who would have taken care of Kagome instead of kidnapping her and keeping her in a castle for the rest of her life. The hanyou, who had been looked down upon and shunned all his life, would have truly loved Kagome. And he did. He loved her with all his heart.
"Come ON!!! I wanna see Grandma!!" Yumi shouted again. Inuyasha left Kagome's side and ran to his daughter. He picked her up and set her on his shoulders. "Yeah, Kagome, come on!" he called wryly. Kagome rolled her eyes and ran to catch up with them.
"Is Daddy in trouble?" asked Yumi as Inuyasha turned and began walking quickly towards the well.
"Yeah, Yumi. Daddy's in trouble for making fun of Mama. Never make fun of your mother."
"Or she'll pin you to a tree!" said Yumi, giggling.
"No, Yumi—that was a really bad woman named Kikyo who pinned Daddy to a tree a long time ago," said Kagome.
"The bitch," mumbled Inuyasha under his breath. Kagome's jaw dropped.
"Inuyasha, sit!!"
"What was that for?!"
"I will not let you talk that way around Yumi." She picked up her daughter and proceeded to the well.
&&&12345&&&
"Uncle Souta!!" Yumi jumped down from her mother's arms and ran to say hi to her uncle. Mrs. Higurashi came out into the backyard. Mother and daughter hugged and greeted each other.
"How's Gramps?" asked Kagome. Mrs. Higurashi bit her lower lip.
"Oh, Kagome...he hasn't been doing too well. He's still in the hospital. I was just going to visit him again, when you showed up. I'm glad Yumi could stay with—" The phone rang inside and Kagome's mom hurried to answer it.
Kagome and Inuyasha greeted Souta and talked for a few minutes while Mrs. Higurashi was on the phone. When she returned, she was walking slower and there were tears on her face.
"Mom, what's wrong?" asked Souta. Mrs. Higurashi sniffed and took a deep breath.
"Grandpa just died. He had another heart attack." Inuyasha hugged Kagome and Souta at the same time. All three were crying silently. Yumi looked up from petting the now extremely old Buyo. "What happened?" she asked. Kagome took her in her arms and decided to tell her something.
"Yumi, your great-grandpa died." Yumi's smile faded.
"Why are you so sad, Mama? He's in a good place."
"I know, honey. It's just that...He's the second person I've lost that I don't think I'll ever be able to get over."
"Who was the other one?" Kagome's face became even more somber.
"Your father." [Kss...kss...Luke, I am your father...]
"But Daddy's right there," Yumi argued. Inuyasha kneeled next to Kagome and Yumi.
"I'm not your dad, Yumi. My brother is."
"Where is he now?" Kagome's shoulders shook as she cried into Inuyasha's haori.
"He's gone," said Inuyasha quietly.
"Where did he go?"
"I killed him. For Kagome. I love her."
"And I love Inuyasha," said Kagome. "But I loved Sesshoumaru, too." Inuyasha's ears twitched. He hugged his small family as both girls cried. They cried and they cried and they cried. And he was there for them. Forever.
[I'm going to miss all of you!!! ::sob sob:: But I've got a sequel in the works! Stay tuned for said sequel, telling about how Yumi treats Inuyasha now that she knows he is not her father. Review, monkey.]