CHAPTER EIGHT
*
"THOSE BASTARDS!"
Inuyasha's voice echoed through the field, scaring a few birds on the edge of the forests. Kagome started nervously. Then she began patting the fussing baby on the back. He hiccuped and was still.
Inuyasha stalked past her, his hands clenched into fists. He'd already punched down one medium-sized tree over, and he seemed to be close to destroying a second. Kagome couldn't remember seeing him this angry -- ever. "Bastards!" he repeated.
"Inuyasha, please calm down," Miroku said evenly. "You're upsetting the child."
Inuyasha whirled to face the monk. "Did you hear them? Did you hear what they said? Those heartless bastards shot her down and they BOASTED about it. Just for havin' a half-demon baby. I'm gonna go back there and set fire to their roofs, I swear-"
The baby interrupted Inuyasha with a high-pitched wail. He smashed his tiny flushed face against Kagome's shoulder and seemed to be trying to burrow into her. "What's the matter, little guy?" she whispered, stroking his back.
The baby's sobs seemed to distract Inuyasha from his rage for a brief time. He looked uncertain what to do next. Miroku stood and went over to the fuming younger man. "I understand your anger, Inuyasha. I heard every word the villagers said, and while it did not affect me as deeply as it did you, I can understand your feelings."
"Leave me alone!" Inuyasha stormed away to the edge of the campsite. He sat down and glared into the distance.
Kagome watched him, a look of sadness coming into her eyes. Inuyasha almost always covered grief with anger, and as far as she could tell, he always had. He's thinking about his mother, she thought. I wonder how she died... and those villagers must remind him of humans who bullied him because he was half-demon too. Poor Inuyasha... it's just tearing off all the band-aids for him.
She broke out of her thoughts when the baby whimpered. He was sucking on his fist with a somewhat frantic expression. "Hey, I think he's hungry," she called.
"So feed him," Inayasha said sourly.
"Oh come on, I can't feed him," Kagome said. "Not with anything better than broth."
"Neither can I," Sango chimed in.
There was a long pause, and all eyes turned to Inuyasha. "What is everyone starin' at me for?" he said, sounding slightly panicked.
*
"I don't see why I have to do this," Inuyasha grumbled.
The pail bumped against his leg as he jumped over a fence. He scanned the fields, until he found what he was looking for. A very fat, slow-moving cow, grazing on the long grass beside a stream. She looked up at him
"Just because we're both half demon, that doesn't mean the kid's my responsibility," Inuyasha said to himself as he strode toward the cow. "He's not mine, I didn't say or do nothin' to deserve this, and we can't keep him around."
He gripped the cow's hors until it stopped acting nervous. Then he quickly crouched down, remembering all too vividly how often he'd done this as a child. He hated milking, but it was necessary for the baby. When he'd filled about a third of the bucket, he glanced around for anyone who might have seen him, then leaped away with the bucket on his shoulder.
The baby was still whining when he landed beside Kagome. He set the bucket down and sat down, folding his hands into his sleeves. "There, you happy now?" he asked gruffly.
"Oh come on Inuyasha. Why are you being so crabby?" Kagome dipped a bit of cloth into the milk and let the baby suck on it.
"Feh."
Inuyasha stayed quiet and still, staring off into the woods. He stayed lost in his own thoughts, especially when the baby quieted down. But when the girls began admiring the now-calm child, he started to look back over his shoulder.
"Isn't he so cute?" Kagome was saying, tickling the baby's chin. She was rewarded with a lopsided, toothless smile.
"Look at his ears," Sango was cooing, rumpling the baby's crumpled dog ears. He batted at her hand with a tiny fist.
"Do you know what those cute little ears mean?" Inuyasha shouted, jumping up. "Those cute little ears mean he's gonna be alone for the rest of his life. Those cute little ears mean he's gonna be blamed for anything that goes wrong. And they mean that no matter what he's like, NOBODY is gonna want him around."
Then he turned and jumped up into the trees.
Sango stayed quiet for awhile, watching Inuyasha climb higher and higher. Then, "Is he talking about the baby or himself?" she whispered.
"I can't tell," Kagome said quietly, patting the baby's back.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"THOSE BASTARDS!"
Inuyasha's voice echoed through the field, scaring a few birds on the edge of the forests. Kagome started nervously. Then she began patting the fussing baby on the back. He hiccuped and was still.
Inuyasha stalked past her, his hands clenched into fists. He'd already punched down one medium-sized tree over, and he seemed to be close to destroying a second. Kagome couldn't remember seeing him this angry -- ever. "Bastards!" he repeated.
"Inuyasha, please calm down," Miroku said evenly. "You're upsetting the child."
Inuyasha whirled to face the monk. "Did you hear them? Did you hear what they said? Those heartless bastards shot her down and they BOASTED about it. Just for havin' a half-demon baby. I'm gonna go back there and set fire to their roofs, I swear-"
The baby interrupted Inuyasha with a high-pitched wail. He smashed his tiny flushed face against Kagome's shoulder and seemed to be trying to burrow into her. "What's the matter, little guy?" she whispered, stroking his back.
The baby's sobs seemed to distract Inuyasha from his rage for a brief time. He looked uncertain what to do next. Miroku stood and went over to the fuming younger man. "I understand your anger, Inuyasha. I heard every word the villagers said, and while it did not affect me as deeply as it did you, I can understand your feelings."
"Leave me alone!" Inuyasha stormed away to the edge of the campsite. He sat down and glared into the distance.
Kagome watched him, a look of sadness coming into her eyes. Inuyasha almost always covered grief with anger, and as far as she could tell, he always had. He's thinking about his mother, she thought. I wonder how she died... and those villagers must remind him of humans who bullied him because he was half-demon too. Poor Inuyasha... it's just tearing off all the band-aids for him.
She broke out of her thoughts when the baby whimpered. He was sucking on his fist with a somewhat frantic expression. "Hey, I think he's hungry," she called.
"So feed him," Inayasha said sourly.
"Oh come on, I can't feed him," Kagome said. "Not with anything better than broth."
"Neither can I," Sango chimed in.
There was a long pause, and all eyes turned to Inuyasha. "What is everyone starin' at me for?" he said, sounding slightly panicked.
*
"I don't see why I have to do this," Inuyasha grumbled.
The pail bumped against his leg as he jumped over a fence. He scanned the fields, until he found what he was looking for. A very fat, slow-moving cow, grazing on the long grass beside a stream. She looked up at him
"Just because we're both half demon, that doesn't mean the kid's my responsibility," Inuyasha said to himself as he strode toward the cow. "He's not mine, I didn't say or do nothin' to deserve this, and we can't keep him around."
He gripped the cow's hors until it stopped acting nervous. Then he quickly crouched down, remembering all too vividly how often he'd done this as a child. He hated milking, but it was necessary for the baby. When he'd filled about a third of the bucket, he glanced around for anyone who might have seen him, then leaped away with the bucket on his shoulder.
The baby was still whining when he landed beside Kagome. He set the bucket down and sat down, folding his hands into his sleeves. "There, you happy now?" he asked gruffly.
"Oh come on Inuyasha. Why are you being so crabby?" Kagome dipped a bit of cloth into the milk and let the baby suck on it.
"Feh."
Inuyasha stayed quiet and still, staring off into the woods. He stayed lost in his own thoughts, especially when the baby quieted down. But when the girls began admiring the now-calm child, he started to look back over his shoulder.
"Isn't he so cute?" Kagome was saying, tickling the baby's chin. She was rewarded with a lopsided, toothless smile.
"Look at his ears," Sango was cooing, rumpling the baby's crumpled dog ears. He batted at her hand with a tiny fist.
"Do you know what those cute little ears mean?" Inuyasha shouted, jumping up. "Those cute little ears mean he's gonna be alone for the rest of his life. Those cute little ears mean he's gonna be blamed for anything that goes wrong. And they mean that no matter what he's like, NOBODY is gonna want him around."
Then he turned and jumped up into the trees.
Sango stayed quiet for awhile, watching Inuyasha climb higher and higher. Then, "Is he talking about the baby or himself?" she whispered.
"I can't tell," Kagome said quietly, patting the baby's back.
TO BE CONTINUED