CHAPTER FIVE
*
"Inuyasha?" Kagome called. She brushed the branches out of her way and stepped into the clearing, looked over the trees for his red clothes. "Inuyasha, where are you?" she called. "Please answer me... please answer. Inuyasha! INUYASHA!"
A splash from a nearby stream caught her attention. Inuyasha was crouched on the bank, moodily watching the fish. His long legs hung down into the water. She could only see a little of his face, but he looked unhappy. Angry? It was hard to tell.
"Inuyasha?" she said, sitting down beside him. When he didn't answer, Kagome stripped off her shoes and socks, and slipped her feet into the water beside his.
Inuyasha kept staring at the fish, even after Kagome had settled beside him. A few times he started to look up, but avoided her eyes. Kagome kept quiet; there were a thousand things she wanted to say, starting with "sorry." But it would be better if she knew what Inuyasha was feeling. So she kept quiet, waiting for him to talk.
"So now do you believe me?" Inuyasha said after awhile.
"What?"
"You thought Miroku was right, didn't you?" Inuyasha said bitterly. "Get real, Kagome. What, did you think I was slinkin' around at night while the rest of you were asleep."
"One thing did make me nervous," Kagome confessed awkwardly. "I mean, ten months ago we weren't exactly getting along."
She could tell from Inuyasha's blank expression that he didn't remember. "It was about three weeks after I got you off the God-Tree," she reminded him. "And you were still insisting that I was an idiot and a pain and that you hated me because I looked like Kikyo, and the only reason you put up with me was because you wanted the jewel."
Inuyasha flushed slightly. "So, you think if we're not gettin' along, I'm just going to go off and sleep with any peasant women I come across, then go off searching for more shards? Meeting with Kikyo is pretty far from the sort of stuff Miroku does. Is that the sort of guy you think I am?" He turned away sharply.
"No, I don't," Kagome said to his back. "That wasn't what I meant, Inuyasha. I know that isn't the sort of thing you'd do."
Inuyasha mumbled something incoherent.
"What?"
"I said," Inuyasha said loudly, turning to face her, "it's not like anyone would HAVE me even if I wanted to."
Kagome drew back slightly. Then, when Inuyasha resumed staring at the stream, she put a hand on his shoulder. He stiffened slightly at the touch. "That's not true, Inuyasha," she said quietly. "But you're right about one thing. You aren't the sort of guy who does that. And that's what I kept thinking when I was looking at the baby. I knew you wouldn't just do that, and you'd never lie about something that important, but I was trying to reconcile it with what I was looking at." She sighed. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I shouldn't have doubted you for even a little while."
"Damn right you shouldn't have," Inuyasha said gruffly. But Kagome could see that he was relieved.
Kagome gave his sleeve a tug. "Come on. Miroku's going to say some prayers for the dead woman we found. We should probably be there."
*
Inuyasha still found it hard to look at the little silver-haired baby in Kagome's arms. The child was fussing and whining. He smells his mother's blood in the air, Inuyasha thought. And it was only the start of the child's troubles, from that day forward. Inuyasha crossed his arms and looked away.
He let his eyes linger on the dead woman. Her pale face was peaceful, and Sango had washed most of the dried blood from her dark hair and torn silk clothing. His eyes narrowed slightly.
Miroku finished intoning prayers over the woman. "Do we have a shovel?" he asked.
"I have one at the camp," Sango said. "I could-"
"Don't bother," Inuyasha interrupted. "I'll do it myself."
He moved past Miroku and started digging with his bare hands, scratching the dirt behind him like a dog. There was a tense, intent look on his face, as if nothing could budge him from his task. With a grunt he heaved a large rock into the bushes and kept digging.
The others watched quietly from a distance. When Inuyasha had dug a pit that satisfied him, he jumped out and went to the dead woman. Carefully, he lifted her and placed her in the grave. After taking a lingering look at her face, he began pushing mounds of dirt back into the grave to cover her.
Miroku frowned. "Why is Inuyasha doing this?" he whispered to Kagome. "I thought he said he hadn't ever seen the woman. Yet the way he's acting..."
"I don't know, but..." Kagome hesitated. "I think... she reminds him of his mother. Inuyasha lost her when he was very young. I don't know how she died or exactly when, but he really loved her." She patted the crying baby, stroked his little ears.
"I see," Miroku said.
Inuyasha scraped the last of the dirt onto the grave, and watched it silently for a moment. Then he turned back toward Kagome.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Inuyasha?" Kagome called. She brushed the branches out of her way and stepped into the clearing, looked over the trees for his red clothes. "Inuyasha, where are you?" she called. "Please answer me... please answer. Inuyasha! INUYASHA!"
A splash from a nearby stream caught her attention. Inuyasha was crouched on the bank, moodily watching the fish. His long legs hung down into the water. She could only see a little of his face, but he looked unhappy. Angry? It was hard to tell.
"Inuyasha?" she said, sitting down beside him. When he didn't answer, Kagome stripped off her shoes and socks, and slipped her feet into the water beside his.
Inuyasha kept staring at the fish, even after Kagome had settled beside him. A few times he started to look up, but avoided her eyes. Kagome kept quiet; there were a thousand things she wanted to say, starting with "sorry." But it would be better if she knew what Inuyasha was feeling. So she kept quiet, waiting for him to talk.
"So now do you believe me?" Inuyasha said after awhile.
"What?"
"You thought Miroku was right, didn't you?" Inuyasha said bitterly. "Get real, Kagome. What, did you think I was slinkin' around at night while the rest of you were asleep."
"One thing did make me nervous," Kagome confessed awkwardly. "I mean, ten months ago we weren't exactly getting along."
She could tell from Inuyasha's blank expression that he didn't remember. "It was about three weeks after I got you off the God-Tree," she reminded him. "And you were still insisting that I was an idiot and a pain and that you hated me because I looked like Kikyo, and the only reason you put up with me was because you wanted the jewel."
Inuyasha flushed slightly. "So, you think if we're not gettin' along, I'm just going to go off and sleep with any peasant women I come across, then go off searching for more shards? Meeting with Kikyo is pretty far from the sort of stuff Miroku does. Is that the sort of guy you think I am?" He turned away sharply.
"No, I don't," Kagome said to his back. "That wasn't what I meant, Inuyasha. I know that isn't the sort of thing you'd do."
Inuyasha mumbled something incoherent.
"What?"
"I said," Inuyasha said loudly, turning to face her, "it's not like anyone would HAVE me even if I wanted to."
Kagome drew back slightly. Then, when Inuyasha resumed staring at the stream, she put a hand on his shoulder. He stiffened slightly at the touch. "That's not true, Inuyasha," she said quietly. "But you're right about one thing. You aren't the sort of guy who does that. And that's what I kept thinking when I was looking at the baby. I knew you wouldn't just do that, and you'd never lie about something that important, but I was trying to reconcile it with what I was looking at." She sighed. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I shouldn't have doubted you for even a little while."
"Damn right you shouldn't have," Inuyasha said gruffly. But Kagome could see that he was relieved.
Kagome gave his sleeve a tug. "Come on. Miroku's going to say some prayers for the dead woman we found. We should probably be there."
*
Inuyasha still found it hard to look at the little silver-haired baby in Kagome's arms. The child was fussing and whining. He smells his mother's blood in the air, Inuyasha thought. And it was only the start of the child's troubles, from that day forward. Inuyasha crossed his arms and looked away.
He let his eyes linger on the dead woman. Her pale face was peaceful, and Sango had washed most of the dried blood from her dark hair and torn silk clothing. His eyes narrowed slightly.
Miroku finished intoning prayers over the woman. "Do we have a shovel?" he asked.
"I have one at the camp," Sango said. "I could-"
"Don't bother," Inuyasha interrupted. "I'll do it myself."
He moved past Miroku and started digging with his bare hands, scratching the dirt behind him like a dog. There was a tense, intent look on his face, as if nothing could budge him from his task. With a grunt he heaved a large rock into the bushes and kept digging.
The others watched quietly from a distance. When Inuyasha had dug a pit that satisfied him, he jumped out and went to the dead woman. Carefully, he lifted her and placed her in the grave. After taking a lingering look at her face, he began pushing mounds of dirt back into the grave to cover her.
Miroku frowned. "Why is Inuyasha doing this?" he whispered to Kagome. "I thought he said he hadn't ever seen the woman. Yet the way he's acting..."
"I don't know, but..." Kagome hesitated. "I think... she reminds him of his mother. Inuyasha lost her when he was very young. I don't know how she died or exactly when, but he really loved her." She patted the crying baby, stroked his little ears.
"I see," Miroku said.
Inuyasha scraped the last of the dirt onto the grave, and watched it silently for a moment. Then he turned back toward Kagome.
TO BE CONTINUED