CHAPTER SIX
*
Kagome bounced the crying baby against her shoulder, but her eyes were locked on Inuyasha as he walked heavily away from the fresh grave. She recognized the expression. His face was blank, but there was a pained look in his eyes that brought her back to when she had barely saved him from the Nothing Woman.
It was a brand of unhappiness that she hadn't seen him exhibit anywhere else. Not for her, not for Kikyo, not for anybody or anything.
I was right, she thought sadly. He was thinking about his mother. That woman didn't even look much like her, but the little orphaned half-demon baby with a dead human mother... it must have brought back some really painful memories for him.
She looked down at the baby. The little dog-eared child had apparently worn himself out, and was now half-asleep, sucking on his little fist. He really did look like Inuyasha in most of the details, like his hair and ears and eyes and hands. Although if she looked carefully, she could see differences. His hair was a slightly darker shade of silver, and his eyes a little paler. But at first glance, he just looks like a tinier version of Inuyasha, she thought.
"Is Inuyasha all right?" Sango sat down beside Kagome. "I just saw him stomping back to the campsite. He didn't start another fight, did he?"
"No," Kagome said absently. "He was just upset by that woman's death. I should probably go talk to him. Sango, would you hold the baby for a little while?"
Inuyasha was crouching by the fire when she got back. Shippo and Kirara were munching on roasted fish, and as she arrived, Inuyasha was snapping, "Shut up, runt! It's none of your business." He folded his hands into his sleeves and looked away.
"I asked Sango to watch the baby for a little while," Kagome said, sitting next to him. "You wanna talk?"
"No."
"You're still mad at me, aren't you?"
"Nah," Inuyasha said, sitting down heavily. "I just don't feel like talkin'."
Apparently taking his cue, Shippo stuck his fish back on the sharpened stick and sauntered away from the fire. Kirara followed him, with her fish in her mouth. Kagome brushed back her hair, watching the two of them go. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.
Inuyasha didn't answer. He was still staring into the fire with a distant look in his eyes.
Kagome watched him silently. His voice rang out in her head: "It's not like anyone would HAVE me even if I wanted to!" Her eyes softened as she looked at him. He sounded like he really meant it, she thought, and he did. From anybody else it would sound like a plea for sympathy, but Inuyasha's been alone most of his life. He believes it's true, that nobody would want to be with him. But it isn't...
"What are you staring at?" Inuyasha demanded. "You're giving me all these sympathetic looks and I don't get it."
"Oh, nothing much," Kagome said, smiling.
*
"A village?" Miroku said, frowning.
"Yes," Sango said, leaning back and staring at the night sky. "Remember? We saw those merchants heading for the town the other day. I stopped and asked them for directions, since we were getting low on supplies."
Kagome paused, with a spoonful of broth halfway to the baby's mouth. Inuyasha was reclined on a branch above her head, pretending not to listen. But she knew that he was paying attention to every word. "Do you think the woman came from there?" Kagome asked. The baby whimpered a little, and she quickly dribbled the broth into his mouth.
"Quite probable," Miroku said. "Her clothes weren't very torn or dirtied, as you'd expect if she had been living alone in the woods for awhile. Besides, with those injuries she surely couldn't have come far."
"Be careful what you ask," Inuyasha said in a loud, flat voice. "They killed her, I bet."
"What?" Kagome said.
"If you're thinking her demon lover killed her, you're wrong," Inuyasha said, sitting up. "Those were human arrows I felt in her back. They killed her because of him, probably." He pointed at the baby. "So don't go prancing in asking, 'Does anybody recognize this baby?'"
"A wise precaution," Miroku said thoughtfully. "And Inuyasha, you should probably stay out of the village, especially if they are wary of demons. Considering the uncanny resemblance of the child, they might think you were the woman's lover."
"They sure wouldn't be alone makin' that assumption," was all Inuyasha said before jumping up higher into the tree.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
Kagome bounced the crying baby against her shoulder, but her eyes were locked on Inuyasha as he walked heavily away from the fresh grave. She recognized the expression. His face was blank, but there was a pained look in his eyes that brought her back to when she had barely saved him from the Nothing Woman.
It was a brand of unhappiness that she hadn't seen him exhibit anywhere else. Not for her, not for Kikyo, not for anybody or anything.
I was right, she thought sadly. He was thinking about his mother. That woman didn't even look much like her, but the little orphaned half-demon baby with a dead human mother... it must have brought back some really painful memories for him.
She looked down at the baby. The little dog-eared child had apparently worn himself out, and was now half-asleep, sucking on his little fist. He really did look like Inuyasha in most of the details, like his hair and ears and eyes and hands. Although if she looked carefully, she could see differences. His hair was a slightly darker shade of silver, and his eyes a little paler. But at first glance, he just looks like a tinier version of Inuyasha, she thought.
"Is Inuyasha all right?" Sango sat down beside Kagome. "I just saw him stomping back to the campsite. He didn't start another fight, did he?"
"No," Kagome said absently. "He was just upset by that woman's death. I should probably go talk to him. Sango, would you hold the baby for a little while?"
Inuyasha was crouching by the fire when she got back. Shippo and Kirara were munching on roasted fish, and as she arrived, Inuyasha was snapping, "Shut up, runt! It's none of your business." He folded his hands into his sleeves and looked away.
"I asked Sango to watch the baby for a little while," Kagome said, sitting next to him. "You wanna talk?"
"No."
"You're still mad at me, aren't you?"
"Nah," Inuyasha said, sitting down heavily. "I just don't feel like talkin'."
Apparently taking his cue, Shippo stuck his fish back on the sharpened stick and sauntered away from the fire. Kirara followed him, with her fish in her mouth. Kagome brushed back her hair, watching the two of them go. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.
Inuyasha didn't answer. He was still staring into the fire with a distant look in his eyes.
Kagome watched him silently. His voice rang out in her head: "It's not like anyone would HAVE me even if I wanted to!" Her eyes softened as she looked at him. He sounded like he really meant it, she thought, and he did. From anybody else it would sound like a plea for sympathy, but Inuyasha's been alone most of his life. He believes it's true, that nobody would want to be with him. But it isn't...
"What are you staring at?" Inuyasha demanded. "You're giving me all these sympathetic looks and I don't get it."
"Oh, nothing much," Kagome said, smiling.
*
"A village?" Miroku said, frowning.
"Yes," Sango said, leaning back and staring at the night sky. "Remember? We saw those merchants heading for the town the other day. I stopped and asked them for directions, since we were getting low on supplies."
Kagome paused, with a spoonful of broth halfway to the baby's mouth. Inuyasha was reclined on a branch above her head, pretending not to listen. But she knew that he was paying attention to every word. "Do you think the woman came from there?" Kagome asked. The baby whimpered a little, and she quickly dribbled the broth into his mouth.
"Quite probable," Miroku said. "Her clothes weren't very torn or dirtied, as you'd expect if she had been living alone in the woods for awhile. Besides, with those injuries she surely couldn't have come far."
"Be careful what you ask," Inuyasha said in a loud, flat voice. "They killed her, I bet."
"What?" Kagome said.
"If you're thinking her demon lover killed her, you're wrong," Inuyasha said, sitting up. "Those were human arrows I felt in her back. They killed her because of him, probably." He pointed at the baby. "So don't go prancing in asking, 'Does anybody recognize this baby?'"
"A wise precaution," Miroku said thoughtfully. "And Inuyasha, you should probably stay out of the village, especially if they are wary of demons. Considering the uncanny resemblance of the child, they might think you were the woman's lover."
"They sure wouldn't be alone makin' that assumption," was all Inuyasha said before jumping up higher into the tree.
TO BE CONTINUED