CHAPTER FOUR
*
"Inuyasha!"
Inuyasha stirred on the tree branch. He let one leg drop, kicking idly at the leaves below him. A soft breeze brushed his face as he stared off into the sky, thinking about the dog-eared baby in Kagome's arms. He was still steaming over Miroku's constant insistence that he was the baby's father.
That rotten monk, he thought, growling softly. Just assuming that the whelp was his without even asking. At least Sango had given him the benefit of the doubt. But what had smarted most was Kagome's silence. She hadn't said a word. Just stared at the baby's face.
"Inuyasha, I know you're up there." Sango's voice floated up to him. "I can see you even from the ground."
Inuyasha stayed still. No way they can get me back that easily, he thought sourly.
Shippo's voice piped up. "Inuyasha, I'm going to get on Kirara and go up to get you if you don't come-"
"Just try it!" Inuyasha snarled, jumping up.
"So you ARE up there," Sango called. "Inuyasha, please come down. We want to talk to you."
"Feh." Inuyasha slumped back down on the branch. "Give me one good reason."
"Kagome," Sango said loudly. "She's very upset, Inuyasha. You could try to reassure her personally, instead of just fighting with Miroku."
"Oh, so now SHE thinks I'm bed-hoppin' too?"
"I didn't say that. She hasn't said a word about this whole thing, Inuyasha, and I think she's trying to take your side. But it's hard when you aren't speaking to her." Sango crossed her arms. "If you want to, you can stay up in that tree forever. But keep in mind that the longer you put off talking with Kagome, the harder it's going to be when you finally cave in. For both of you."
Inuyasha reluctantly watched the demon-slayer walking off in the direction of their camp. Then he began idly kicking at a small tree branch, letting his troubled mind wander.
*
A blur of red and white shot from the treetops, soaring toward the field where the camp was located. Inuyasha's features were set in a grimace at the thought of what was probably ahead. "Upset," for Kagome, could mean anything from blind rage to depression, and either could result in her yelling "sit!" at him. I should've asked Sango if she was mad at me, he thought.
He glimpsed her sitting by the campfire, and landed lightly behind her. In front of the fire was a little blanket-wrapped bundle. Inuyasha could see a tiny hand poking out of it. What made him grimace was the blunt talons on its fingers. Like mine, when I was little, he thought, looking at his own hand with its pointed claws. He reluctantly turned his gaze away.
"Kagome..." he said awkwardly. "I... can... can we talk?"
Kagome ladled some water into the pot. "Pass me that ramen, will you?" she said tonelessly.
Inuyasha did as she asked. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"Making it for the baby," Kagome said, ripping open the packet. "He's too little to eat the noodles, I think, but I thought I could feed him the broth. At least until we find something better."
"You've taken care of babies before?" Inuyasha asked.
"Yeah, I did some babysitting a few years ago. I know the basics," Kagome said. "How to change them, feed them, get them to sleep... not too complicated, actually."
Inuyasha grimaced. This was going nowhere; they were just making small talk, not approaching the real issue here. He started to reply, then growled softly. He could hear Miroku and Sango approaching from behind. "How's the child, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked smoothly.
"How would I know? Kagome's taking care of him," Inuyasha snarled. "Where were you three, anyway?"
"Preparing the body of the child's mother for burial," Miroku said solemnly, sitting by the fire. Shippo hopped off his shoulder, sniffing the air. "That poor woman cannot simply be left to the scavengers, Inuyasha. Would you like to come with us?"
"Why would I?" Inuyasha bellowed. He jumped to his feet. "I didn't know her!"
A high-pitched cry came from inside the blanket. Kagome dropped the ramen packet and picked up the baby, joggling him against her. "It's okay, it's okay, he wasn't yelling at you," she said quietly. But the baby continued crying, flailing his tiny fists against Kagome's chest.
"Interesting," Miroku said, resting his chin on his hand. "They even shout the same way."
"Shut UP!" Inuyasha growled, his claws clicking ominously.
Kagome started to shift the baby up to her shoulder, only to draw back when his fists started pounding her neck. "I don't think he wants me..." She followed the child's golden eyes -- to a very flustered Inuyasha. "I think he wants Inuyasha... to hold him."
"What?" Inuyasha said. "I can't -- I mean, I never -- I don't -- "
"He must think Inuyasha is his father," Sango said quietly. Despite Inuyasha's spluttering, she continued, "Kagome doesn't smell like his mother, but I'm sure he recognizes another dog-demon."
Kagome managed to calm the hiccuping infant by rocking him back and forth. Her eyes met the baby's, and for the first time she looked carefully over his little flushed face, his clawed hands, his silver hair, and his puppy ears. He looks so much like Inuyasha, she thought. Like he must have when he was a little baby. I want to believe him... I know he wouldn't lie to me... but then... whose baby is this?
When she looked up, she found Inuyasha staring at her. Miroku and Sango were seated behind him, and she knew they couldn't see his face. He looked almost desperate. She had the feeling he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words.
"Kagome?" Shippo said. "Can I see the baby?"
"Sure," Kagome said absently, not looking away from Inuyasha. She was afraid of what he might say if she broke his gaze.
Shippo hopped onto Kagome's lap and studied the baby's face. "It's not Inuyasha's," he announced.
"What?" Miroku said, sounding stunned. "Shippo, how can you tell?"
"I can smell that it's half human," Shippo said matter-of-factly. "If it were Inuyasha's, it would have a lot more human blood. But it smells the same way he does. Only different."
Kagome looked down at the fussing baby's face. A wave of relief went through her. "Inuyasha, I-" she started to say. But Inuyasha had vanished.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Inuyasha!"
Inuyasha stirred on the tree branch. He let one leg drop, kicking idly at the leaves below him. A soft breeze brushed his face as he stared off into the sky, thinking about the dog-eared baby in Kagome's arms. He was still steaming over Miroku's constant insistence that he was the baby's father.
That rotten monk, he thought, growling softly. Just assuming that the whelp was his without even asking. At least Sango had given him the benefit of the doubt. But what had smarted most was Kagome's silence. She hadn't said a word. Just stared at the baby's face.
"Inuyasha, I know you're up there." Sango's voice floated up to him. "I can see you even from the ground."
Inuyasha stayed still. No way they can get me back that easily, he thought sourly.
Shippo's voice piped up. "Inuyasha, I'm going to get on Kirara and go up to get you if you don't come-"
"Just try it!" Inuyasha snarled, jumping up.
"So you ARE up there," Sango called. "Inuyasha, please come down. We want to talk to you."
"Feh." Inuyasha slumped back down on the branch. "Give me one good reason."
"Kagome," Sango said loudly. "She's very upset, Inuyasha. You could try to reassure her personally, instead of just fighting with Miroku."
"Oh, so now SHE thinks I'm bed-hoppin' too?"
"I didn't say that. She hasn't said a word about this whole thing, Inuyasha, and I think she's trying to take your side. But it's hard when you aren't speaking to her." Sango crossed her arms. "If you want to, you can stay up in that tree forever. But keep in mind that the longer you put off talking with Kagome, the harder it's going to be when you finally cave in. For both of you."
Inuyasha reluctantly watched the demon-slayer walking off in the direction of their camp. Then he began idly kicking at a small tree branch, letting his troubled mind wander.
*
A blur of red and white shot from the treetops, soaring toward the field where the camp was located. Inuyasha's features were set in a grimace at the thought of what was probably ahead. "Upset," for Kagome, could mean anything from blind rage to depression, and either could result in her yelling "sit!" at him. I should've asked Sango if she was mad at me, he thought.
He glimpsed her sitting by the campfire, and landed lightly behind her. In front of the fire was a little blanket-wrapped bundle. Inuyasha could see a tiny hand poking out of it. What made him grimace was the blunt talons on its fingers. Like mine, when I was little, he thought, looking at his own hand with its pointed claws. He reluctantly turned his gaze away.
"Kagome..." he said awkwardly. "I... can... can we talk?"
Kagome ladled some water into the pot. "Pass me that ramen, will you?" she said tonelessly.
Inuyasha did as she asked. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"Making it for the baby," Kagome said, ripping open the packet. "He's too little to eat the noodles, I think, but I thought I could feed him the broth. At least until we find something better."
"You've taken care of babies before?" Inuyasha asked.
"Yeah, I did some babysitting a few years ago. I know the basics," Kagome said. "How to change them, feed them, get them to sleep... not too complicated, actually."
Inuyasha grimaced. This was going nowhere; they were just making small talk, not approaching the real issue here. He started to reply, then growled softly. He could hear Miroku and Sango approaching from behind. "How's the child, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked smoothly.
"How would I know? Kagome's taking care of him," Inuyasha snarled. "Where were you three, anyway?"
"Preparing the body of the child's mother for burial," Miroku said solemnly, sitting by the fire. Shippo hopped off his shoulder, sniffing the air. "That poor woman cannot simply be left to the scavengers, Inuyasha. Would you like to come with us?"
"Why would I?" Inuyasha bellowed. He jumped to his feet. "I didn't know her!"
A high-pitched cry came from inside the blanket. Kagome dropped the ramen packet and picked up the baby, joggling him against her. "It's okay, it's okay, he wasn't yelling at you," she said quietly. But the baby continued crying, flailing his tiny fists against Kagome's chest.
"Interesting," Miroku said, resting his chin on his hand. "They even shout the same way."
"Shut UP!" Inuyasha growled, his claws clicking ominously.
Kagome started to shift the baby up to her shoulder, only to draw back when his fists started pounding her neck. "I don't think he wants me..." She followed the child's golden eyes -- to a very flustered Inuyasha. "I think he wants Inuyasha... to hold him."
"What?" Inuyasha said. "I can't -- I mean, I never -- I don't -- "
"He must think Inuyasha is his father," Sango said quietly. Despite Inuyasha's spluttering, she continued, "Kagome doesn't smell like his mother, but I'm sure he recognizes another dog-demon."
Kagome managed to calm the hiccuping infant by rocking him back and forth. Her eyes met the baby's, and for the first time she looked carefully over his little flushed face, his clawed hands, his silver hair, and his puppy ears. He looks so much like Inuyasha, she thought. Like he must have when he was a little baby. I want to believe him... I know he wouldn't lie to me... but then... whose baby is this?
When she looked up, she found Inuyasha staring at her. Miroku and Sango were seated behind him, and she knew they couldn't see his face. He looked almost desperate. She had the feeling he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words.
"Kagome?" Shippo said. "Can I see the baby?"
"Sure," Kagome said absently, not looking away from Inuyasha. She was afraid of what he might say if she broke his gaze.
Shippo hopped onto Kagome's lap and studied the baby's face. "It's not Inuyasha's," he announced.
"What?" Miroku said, sounding stunned. "Shippo, how can you tell?"
"I can smell that it's half human," Shippo said matter-of-factly. "If it were Inuyasha's, it would have a lot more human blood. But it smells the same way he does. Only different."
Kagome looked down at the fussing baby's face. A wave of relief went through her. "Inuyasha, I-" she started to say. But Inuyasha had vanished.
TO BE CONTINUED