CHAPTER NINE
*
Against Inuyasha's wishes, Kagome slipped back into the village the next morning. "I need to get something to carry the baby in, Inuyasha!" she argued as she slipped on her shoes. "My elbows are going to lock if I don't get to put him down occasionally. With some sort of baby sling or something, I can have my hands free."
"Can't we get one in the NEXT village?" Inuyasha demanded.
"We don't even know when the next village is coming up," Kagome retorted.
"I'm not going to-"
"SIT!"
Kagome felt the baby wriggle in her arms as Inuyasha slammed into the ground. A wide, toothless grin spread over the tiny face as the growling boy stood up. "I think he thinks it's funny," she said, joggling the baby over her shoulder. Inuyasha gave her a baleful look, then turned and stalked away.
Inuyasha was still sulking when she left, with Miroku and Sango beside her. The baby was napping by the fire, still wrapped in the blanket they had found him in. As they left the camp, Kagome looked back at the tiny face, the closed golden eyes and little puppy ears.
He looks so much like Inuyasha, she thought for the hundredth time. The older half-demon was sitting on the opposite side of the fire, staring at the flames. His hands were twisting a stick, pulling it apart and breaking the pieces. His eyes saw nothing.
She had relatively little trouble buying a baby carrier in the village, sort of a woven thing made of cloth and willow branches. The old woman glanced over Kagome and offered a gap-toothed grin. "You don't look like you have a baby, dearie," she said.
"I don't," Kagome said. "I'm not buying this for me -- it's for my friends." She jerked her thumb back at Miroku and Sango, trying to hold back a smile. "They're gonna need it soon, if you know what I mean."
Sango looked shocked. Miroku merely looked thoughtful.
*
"What are we going to do with him?" Sango asked.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, looking up from the roasting fish.
"No, the baby," Miroku said patiently. "Some sort of decision must be made when we return to the village. I'm sure Kaede could find someone to look after the child, if it came down to that."
Kagome frowned. If they had found just any baby, she might have agreed... "But shouldn't we try to find the father?" she asked. The baby, still strapped in his carrier, was squirming and whining softly; she took him out and cuddled him close to her.
"We don't know where he is, or even who he is," Miroku said. He slid a fish from its stick and nibbled it experimentally. "Besides, it would take quite some time to track him down, even if we learn his identity. I don't think it's a good idea to have the child near Inuyasha for much longer."
Kagome looked over her shoulder at the red blotch under the trees, almost invisible in the dark. Inuyasha was staying away from the others at night, and was quiet during the day. Her gaze strayed down to the tiny baby clinging to her blouse, looking around at the others with wide eyes. "Sango," she said quietly, "can you take him for a little while?"
Once she had given the child to Sango, Kagome slipped away from the firelight. "Inuyasha?" she called quietly.
Inuyasha mumbled something under his breath and looked away.
Kagome sat down at his side and stared back at the fire, with her chin resting on her knees. "So, howya doin'?" she asked casually.
"Feh."
"Inuyasha, could you please talk to me instead of grunting and mumbling all the time?"
"Go away."
Kagome stayed where she was, watching the firelight dancing and flickering on his face and hair. "Inuyasha," she said quietly. "Look, I... I know how you're feeling right now. That baby probably brought back a lot of rotten memories about when you were... you know, little. And those rotten villagers must've made it even worse."
Inuyasha's shoulders hunched over. His pale golden eyes were almost closed, but Kagome thought she saw the expression in them.
She put a hand on his shoulder. "But Inuyasha... getting all weird and hostile toward the baby won't make the past go away," she said softly. "It's not gonna help things for you. It won't make you stop hurting. And all you're gonna do is make a little lost kid have one less person to depend on."
Inuyasha got up suddenly and walked away, still silent. This time, Kagome did not go after him.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
Against Inuyasha's wishes, Kagome slipped back into the village the next morning. "I need to get something to carry the baby in, Inuyasha!" she argued as she slipped on her shoes. "My elbows are going to lock if I don't get to put him down occasionally. With some sort of baby sling or something, I can have my hands free."
"Can't we get one in the NEXT village?" Inuyasha demanded.
"We don't even know when the next village is coming up," Kagome retorted.
"I'm not going to-"
"SIT!"
Kagome felt the baby wriggle in her arms as Inuyasha slammed into the ground. A wide, toothless grin spread over the tiny face as the growling boy stood up. "I think he thinks it's funny," she said, joggling the baby over her shoulder. Inuyasha gave her a baleful look, then turned and stalked away.
Inuyasha was still sulking when she left, with Miroku and Sango beside her. The baby was napping by the fire, still wrapped in the blanket they had found him in. As they left the camp, Kagome looked back at the tiny face, the closed golden eyes and little puppy ears.
He looks so much like Inuyasha, she thought for the hundredth time. The older half-demon was sitting on the opposite side of the fire, staring at the flames. His hands were twisting a stick, pulling it apart and breaking the pieces. His eyes saw nothing.
She had relatively little trouble buying a baby carrier in the village, sort of a woven thing made of cloth and willow branches. The old woman glanced over Kagome and offered a gap-toothed grin. "You don't look like you have a baby, dearie," she said.
"I don't," Kagome said. "I'm not buying this for me -- it's for my friends." She jerked her thumb back at Miroku and Sango, trying to hold back a smile. "They're gonna need it soon, if you know what I mean."
Sango looked shocked. Miroku merely looked thoughtful.
*
"What are we going to do with him?" Sango asked.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, looking up from the roasting fish.
"No, the baby," Miroku said patiently. "Some sort of decision must be made when we return to the village. I'm sure Kaede could find someone to look after the child, if it came down to that."
Kagome frowned. If they had found just any baby, she might have agreed... "But shouldn't we try to find the father?" she asked. The baby, still strapped in his carrier, was squirming and whining softly; she took him out and cuddled him close to her.
"We don't know where he is, or even who he is," Miroku said. He slid a fish from its stick and nibbled it experimentally. "Besides, it would take quite some time to track him down, even if we learn his identity. I don't think it's a good idea to have the child near Inuyasha for much longer."
Kagome looked over her shoulder at the red blotch under the trees, almost invisible in the dark. Inuyasha was staying away from the others at night, and was quiet during the day. Her gaze strayed down to the tiny baby clinging to her blouse, looking around at the others with wide eyes. "Sango," she said quietly, "can you take him for a little while?"
Once she had given the child to Sango, Kagome slipped away from the firelight. "Inuyasha?" she called quietly.
Inuyasha mumbled something under his breath and looked away.
Kagome sat down at his side and stared back at the fire, with her chin resting on her knees. "So, howya doin'?" she asked casually.
"Feh."
"Inuyasha, could you please talk to me instead of grunting and mumbling all the time?"
"Go away."
Kagome stayed where she was, watching the firelight dancing and flickering on his face and hair. "Inuyasha," she said quietly. "Look, I... I know how you're feeling right now. That baby probably brought back a lot of rotten memories about when you were... you know, little. And those rotten villagers must've made it even worse."
Inuyasha's shoulders hunched over. His pale golden eyes were almost closed, but Kagome thought she saw the expression in them.
She put a hand on his shoulder. "But Inuyasha... getting all weird and hostile toward the baby won't make the past go away," she said softly. "It's not gonna help things for you. It won't make you stop hurting. And all you're gonna do is make a little lost kid have one less person to depend on."
Inuyasha got up suddenly and walked away, still silent. This time, Kagome did not go after him.
TO BE CONTINUED