Mistress Phoenix: OKAY! This chapter is greatly lacking action and angst and tragedy, seeing as its pretty much one of the happiest times of Kagome's life BUT it will get better, I swear to all of you angsty-lovers! And better meaning that there will be more blood and death, and YES! THE FEUDAL ERA SHALL RETURN! Do not despair, Inuyasha fans. It shall come back into the story in the next chapter! But don't worry too much, I tired my very best to make this chapter un-boring :
Just wanted y'all to know that, I didn't want you to think this was all about Kagome's adopted kid and his normal life in present times. Oh no, things shall not be like that at all :B
DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha. Yay, I'm officially a broken record.
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Kagome was waiting patiently in the orphanage's office, the elderly woman behind the desk in front of her going through a few required papers. Kagome bit her lip gently in nervousness.
What if I can't adopt a child because I'm not qualified or something? Or they think I'll be a bad mother? Wait, That's the same thing! Ack! But what if I can't? What do I do then? I'll never marry or date any man, let alone have his child!
"Oh, Ms. Higurashi, there's no need for you to be so nervous!"
The woman said in a sugary way, though not to the point where it was fake or over sweet. Kagome blinked, waking from her reverie, and was almost a little surprised to find herself in the Sunny Orphanage office. She blushed slightly in embarrassment. The little old woman laid the papers down on the desk, smiling at the twenty year old woman who had so unquestionably decided to adopt a child.
"You definitely prove to become a wonderful mother, Ms. Higurashi."
Kagome blushed at this compliment and brushed her hair out of her brown eyes, now looking directly at the elderly lady.
"Thank you, Miss."
The aged woman smiled cheerfully and continued on with their adoption process.
"Would you like to adopt a boy or girl, then?"
"A boy, thank you."
Kagome answered quickly, her answer precise and long thought over.
Kagome had stayed up most the night in her excitement, and in that time she had thought long and hard of what gender and age of the child she wanted to adopt. After a long time of contemplating these factors, she had finally come to the decision that her conscience had given her, to adopt a baby boy.
"And which age group would you like?"
"I would like to adopt an infant, thank you. The younger, the better if you don't mind."
The woman serving Kagome simply beamed at her brightly, as if telling her she also liked Kagome's choice. With that, she stood from her cushioned chair.
"One moment, Ms. Higurashi, I think I know the perfect child for you."
The woman then swiftly retreated back into a different room. Kagome shifted in excitement and anxiety in her seat, waiting for the lady to return. Her mind was racing and her heart was thumping loudly in her ears. How bothersome excitement could be when mingled with nervousness! When she did return, Kagome gasped in joy at the sight.
Wrapped warmly and securely in a blue blanket was a small baby boy. He couldn't have been more than two months old! The baby's eyes were currently closed, though they were a beautiful brown colour, and his hair had not yet started to grow, so his hair colour was currently unidentified.
Kagome stood and walked over to the child, the woman handing the baby boy to Ms. Higurashi. Kagome gently cradled the fragile being in her arms, lightly touching his cute face with her other hand in a gentle way. The baby was quietly sleeping.
"He's only about two months old, Ms. Higurashi, and that is all we know."
"All you know?"
Kagome questioned, though her eyes were set upon the oddly quiet child in her arms.
"Yes, he was found at our doorstep two nights ago. Someone had just left him there, the poor darling. We don't even know his name or parents."
"Poor child."
Kagome agreed, frowning lightly. The elderly woman shook her head, dismissing the thought.
"Anyways, because of this he doesn't have a name. You may name him whatever you please."
Kagome silently drifted back into a light reverie again, pondering about what to name him. Curse her stupidity! She hadn't thought of a name for her child, the most important thing! She looked down at the sleeping child in her arms.
What about the name Isamu, it means bravery. No, it doesn't have a nice ring to it, really... what names mean warrior?
Suddenly, Kagome's eyes widened slightly in shock of what she was thinking.
No! Why do I intend to name my child after him? I never want to remember those painful memories.. I can't name him after Inuyasha in any way!
Her thoughts were true, for to have the torture of remembering such vivid memories every time she simply called out her son's name would near kill her. She didn't ever want to remember.
"Ms. Higurashi? Have you thought of a name?"
Kagome looked over at the woman, realizing that she had spaced out for a moment just then.
"His name will be.."
Her gaze fell again to the child in her arms. Hearing no sound utter from him, the perfect name floated into her head, a name that would not hurt her.
"Kiyoshi, the quiet one."
The woman smiled brightly, hearing Kagome's dubbing to the infant, even though she had spoken so softly. Kagome felt overwhelmingly happy, a feeling she had not felt in such a long time.
Kagome Higurashi then finished signing the adoption papers, and slowly walked out of the adoption agency in great bliss, an emotion she had been feeling ever since she had first laid eyes on who she knew would be her adopted son. In her bag were the adoption papers, and in her arms was her newly adopted boy, Kiyoshi. Kagome was a mother now, even if not to a blood son.
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As the months passed by, Kagome began to realize just how much Kiyoshi did not live up to his name. The only times he was quiet was when he slept or ate, the rest of the time spent either crying, making a mess or being incredibly disobedient. Poor Kagome was having some trouble with the child.
"Kiyoshi, sweetie, hush, hush.."
Kagome said gently and soothingly, trying her best to calm the baby in her arms. She didn't know what was wrong! He wasn't hungry or thirsty or dirty, she knew that, but he refused to sleep as well, Kagome know finding little reasons for him to cry.
"Meow?"
Buyo's overweight body sat on the floor at his mistress' feet, looking up at the child. His tail twitched every so often, and he meowed for attention again.
"Buyo! I'm busy!"
Kagome scolded the plump, elderly cat who had managed to live this old. Things weren't going her way. She quickly took Kiyoshi up to his room and set him gently on the soft carpet on the floor, searching through the toy-box for something to pacify him.
She tried toy after toy with no success, soon beginning to think her son was simply too picky to please. As the toys grew thinner, however, Kiyoshi noticed one toy that pleased him.
It was a stuffed dog, limply hanging out of the toy-box with its sewn pink tongue lolling out of its soft plush mouth. It was the same size of a normal teddy bear and was all white, save for the brown of the inside of its ears. A red ribbon was tied around its neck in a neat bow.
"Dog!"
Kagome gasped. This was Kiyoshi's first word. Kagome turned and picked up the stuffed dog, handing it to Kiyoshi with a huge smile on her face.
"Yes Kiyoshi, it's a dog!"
"Dog."
The small child said as he hugged the plushy tightly to his tiny body. Kagome had finally found something to calm little Kiyoshi down. She smiled triumphantly to herself.
-- Five Years Later --
"Okkasan, what is that?"
Kagome looked down at the five-year-old child sitting on her lap at his question.
"What's what, Kiyoshi?"
She asked gently, curious as to what her son was asking about. Kiyoshi lifted his right arm to point across the yard from the steps they were sitting on outside, the stuffed dog Kiyoshi loved so dear held tightly in his left arm. Kagome followed her son's pointing finger only to see the boarded-up shrine.
Her heart sank.
"That, Okkasan."
Kiyoshi stated simply, curiosity clear in his voice. Kiyoshi was so inquisitive.
"It's the shrine, but we never go in there anymore."
"Why? What's in the shrine?"
Kagome bit her bottom lip lightly.
"A well. But it doesn't have any water in; it's dried up long ago. My grandfather used to keep some weird old artifacts and such in there, but there's nothing there now."
"Why is it boarded up?"
"Because, Kiyoshi, we must never enter it."
"Why?"
Kagome sighed. Why was it that her son was so curious? Ah well, he was still a young child anyways. But the questions he asked also made the memories that had been so long forsaken and shunned slowly revive. She rested her head gently atop if Kiyoshi's smaller one.
"Because, Kiyoshi, it is dangerous. Do you know what is in the well?"
Kagome's adopted child shook his head.
"Youkai, Kiyoshi. They don't like humans, especially little children. They'll eat you up if you go in there!"
"But Mommy, all demons aren't evil, right?"
Kiyoshi asked innocently, obviously not frightened very much by the thoughts of demons and monsters. Kagome had always found that odd about her son. When other children his age heard of demons lurking in the darkness, ready to gobble them up, they would always be terribly afraid, while Kiyoshi would only question, though there was a little fear.
Kagome thought on this before answering.
"No, not all, there are the few that are not bad. But the ones in that well are all bad, Kiyoshi, and they are not nice in any way."
Kiyoshi trembled slightly.
"I don't want them to eat me."
Fear was finally evident in his voice now.
"Don't worry Kiyoshi-chan, Kin will always protect you from them."
Kin was the stuffed dog, named by Kiyoshi once he had learned to speak. He hugged the stuffed dog closer to him in a loving way.
"Is Kin strong enough?"
"Yes. Kin is a mighty dog that will always protect and love you, like I will. Kin is strong enough to protect you. Now, come inside. It's getting dark."
As Kiyoshi walked back into his home, holding his mother's hand, he looked over his shoulder at the old shrine. He then looked down at the stuffed dog named Kin.
Kiyoshi smiled.
-- Ten Years Later --
Fifteen year old Kiyoshi Higurashi bolted upright in his bed at the ring of his alarm clock, nearly falling out of the bed in the process.
"Kiyoshi?"
He heard his mother ask from outside of his bedroom door.
"I'm fine, Mom! I just have to get dressed for school and get breakfast!"
He answered, getting out of bed. He heard giggling from behind the door and his mother opened the door and peeked in.
"Kiyoshi, sweetheart, it's Saturday."
Kagome giggled again and Kiyoshi blushed in embarrassment.
"I knew that."
He retorted stubbornly, not liking being wrong. Kagome only laughed again.
"Since your up, I'll make you some breakfast. I'll tell you when it's done."
With that, Kagome closed the door and headed downstairs, humming a tune to herself. Kiyoshi sighed at his stupidity, decided to get dressed since he was awake now. The teenager threw open the closet door and a minor avalanche of soccer balls and basketballs and a load of rumpled clothing fell on top of him. He grumbled and threw the items to the side.
As he stood, Kin fell out of the shelf in the closet.
The boy looked down at the worn stuffed dog and slowly crouched down to pick it up. Poor Kin's right eye was now only dangling by a thread and the stitching of where his mother had repaired Kin's left arm where it had been torn away many years ago. The stuffed animal looked sad.
Kiyoshi gently touched the stitching and frowned. He was upset by the neglect this toy had obviously had, though it also troubled him that he even cared about such a ridiculous thing. But the teenager's conscience took hold and he found himself carrying the stuffed dog downstairs for his mother to fix it.
-- A Few Days Later --
Kiyoshi glanced across the yard, his brown eyes setting upon the shrine that his mother had always told him never to go into. He had always wondered why she banished him from the shrine, and she had grounded him for a month when she had found him so much as peeking into it from between a few boards.
"Keh, what's so bad about that place?"
He thought aloud. Kin sat in his lap and his backpack that was filled with textbooks and notebooks was on the ground next to him, as if someone had simply thrown it on the ground. Kiyoshi's adoptive mother wouldn't be home for another hour or so.
Curious, he laid the treasured stuffed dog on top of his bag and stood, walking over to the shrine. The adolescent looked in through the boards that sealed the shrine closed, the few streams on sunlight inside making a spotlight for the dust that floated within it.
He pulled back, and was soon searching around the yard for something that could help him pry the plywood off the door. Kiyoshi wanted to be inside more than anything at the time.
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Mistress Phoenix: Okay, I am terribly sorry if this is slow-moving and even somewhat boring to any of you, but the next chapter and onwards, It will become better! I will re-introduce all the characters and what happened to them, and the feudal era and its many demons and fantasies will return, Along with the tragedy I have created from deep within my mind for you to enjoy :)
Oh, and have you noticed that Kin seems to resemble someone we know? Hehe, yes I have purposely made Kin like our loveable Sesshomaru! How cute, he's like a stuffed doggie :P