CHAPTER ELEVEN
*
"Should we wake them up?" Sango whispered.
"No, let's let them sleep a little while," Kagome whispered back, behind her hand. "Oh, it's so sweet..."
"Don't let Inuyasha hear you say that," Miroku murmured. "But they do seem to be quite deeply asleep. Not to mention that they are rather closer than they were yesterday, aren't they?"
Inuyasha was sitting where he had been all that night, with his head bowed in sleep. Tucked under one arm was the Tetsusaiga. And snuggled in the other was the dog-eared baby, who was sucking on Inuyasha's fingertip. The baby yawned and blinked large golden eyes at Kagome and the others. Then he started to fuss.
Inuyasha started and looked up at the four people watching him. "What are you all starin' at?" he demanded belligerently. Before anyone could answer, he stood smoothly and stalked off, still with the baby in his arms.
"Now what's wrong with him?" Shippo asked, rubbing his green eyes.
Kagome smiled softly, watching Inuyasha jumping up into a tree with the little bundle in his arms. "I think he's just gotten over a little of his old unhappiness," she said.
*
Inuyasha insisted on carrying the baby that day, keeping the tiny child cradled in one arm until Kagome insisted that he use the baby carrier she had purchased. Even then, he announced that he was going to wear it on his back, not his chest. "But it's supposed to be facing front," Kagome argued.
"If I have to fight a battle, I don't want him getting in the way of my arms," Inuyasha retorted. "Put it on my back."
"If you have to fight a battle, you're gonna put down the baby first."
"Feh."
They travelled over the familiar green fields and forests near Kaede's village. As they walked, Kagome kept watching Inuyasha. His words from the previous night kept returning to her mind, the promises he had made the baby who could not yet understand them. She hadn't seen his face, but she could imagine how he had looked as he spoke to the child about his life, and about how the baby's own life would be different.
He'd be totally embarrassed if he knew I heard, she thought.
Come to think of it, Kagome had never seen Inuyasha with a baby before. Not just because very few mothers would be willing to let a half-demon near their baby, but because he just didn't seem interested. Yet he handled this baby like it was some extremely fragile, breakable, precious thing that he didn't want to put down for fear it would be lost.
"Shouldn't we call the baby something?" Sango suddenly spoke up. "We can hardly keep calling it 'the baby,' 'the child,' and so on. He needs a name."
"Hmm," Miroku murmured, rubbing his chin. "An interesting idea. I've thought of many names for possible children, but nothing really fits this baby."
Sango gave him a blistering look.
"Let's call it Inuyasha Junior," Shippo offered.
"Would you SHUT UP?" Inuyasha snapped, wheeling around to Shippo. "We aren't gonna give him a name until we know whether or not we can find the father."
"Let's say, for the sake of argument, that the father is Sesshoumaru," Miroku said slowly. "Just assume that somehow he became involved with a human. What would we do then?"
"Shut up," Inuyasha repeated. "We're gonna decide what to do when we know who the father is. Not before. Got that?" He turned and began walking quickly down the road, with the baby peeking curiously over his shoulder.
"Inuyasha seems much more protective of the child today," Sango whispered to Kagome. "I wonder what caused this change. He's also being kind of bossy about it, as if he were in charge of it."
"Mm-hm," Kagome agreed absently. "If I didn't know better, I'd think he had adopted the baby."
Kagome smiled suddenly. They had been planning to show Kaede the baby ever since deciding to return to her village. After all, she would know better than they how to deal with this problem. But now Kagome wondered, How is she going to react when she sees a baby Inuyasha?
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Should we wake them up?" Sango whispered.
"No, let's let them sleep a little while," Kagome whispered back, behind her hand. "Oh, it's so sweet..."
"Don't let Inuyasha hear you say that," Miroku murmured. "But they do seem to be quite deeply asleep. Not to mention that they are rather closer than they were yesterday, aren't they?"
Inuyasha was sitting where he had been all that night, with his head bowed in sleep. Tucked under one arm was the Tetsusaiga. And snuggled in the other was the dog-eared baby, who was sucking on Inuyasha's fingertip. The baby yawned and blinked large golden eyes at Kagome and the others. Then he started to fuss.
Inuyasha started and looked up at the four people watching him. "What are you all starin' at?" he demanded belligerently. Before anyone could answer, he stood smoothly and stalked off, still with the baby in his arms.
"Now what's wrong with him?" Shippo asked, rubbing his green eyes.
Kagome smiled softly, watching Inuyasha jumping up into a tree with the little bundle in his arms. "I think he's just gotten over a little of his old unhappiness," she said.
*
Inuyasha insisted on carrying the baby that day, keeping the tiny child cradled in one arm until Kagome insisted that he use the baby carrier she had purchased. Even then, he announced that he was going to wear it on his back, not his chest. "But it's supposed to be facing front," Kagome argued.
"If I have to fight a battle, I don't want him getting in the way of my arms," Inuyasha retorted. "Put it on my back."
"If you have to fight a battle, you're gonna put down the baby first."
"Feh."
They travelled over the familiar green fields and forests near Kaede's village. As they walked, Kagome kept watching Inuyasha. His words from the previous night kept returning to her mind, the promises he had made the baby who could not yet understand them. She hadn't seen his face, but she could imagine how he had looked as he spoke to the child about his life, and about how the baby's own life would be different.
He'd be totally embarrassed if he knew I heard, she thought.
Come to think of it, Kagome had never seen Inuyasha with a baby before. Not just because very few mothers would be willing to let a half-demon near their baby, but because he just didn't seem interested. Yet he handled this baby like it was some extremely fragile, breakable, precious thing that he didn't want to put down for fear it would be lost.
"Shouldn't we call the baby something?" Sango suddenly spoke up. "We can hardly keep calling it 'the baby,' 'the child,' and so on. He needs a name."
"Hmm," Miroku murmured, rubbing his chin. "An interesting idea. I've thought of many names for possible children, but nothing really fits this baby."
Sango gave him a blistering look.
"Let's call it Inuyasha Junior," Shippo offered.
"Would you SHUT UP?" Inuyasha snapped, wheeling around to Shippo. "We aren't gonna give him a name until we know whether or not we can find the father."
"Let's say, for the sake of argument, that the father is Sesshoumaru," Miroku said slowly. "Just assume that somehow he became involved with a human. What would we do then?"
"Shut up," Inuyasha repeated. "We're gonna decide what to do when we know who the father is. Not before. Got that?" He turned and began walking quickly down the road, with the baby peeking curiously over his shoulder.
"Inuyasha seems much more protective of the child today," Sango whispered to Kagome. "I wonder what caused this change. He's also being kind of bossy about it, as if he were in charge of it."
"Mm-hm," Kagome agreed absently. "If I didn't know better, I'd think he had adopted the baby."
Kagome smiled suddenly. They had been planning to show Kaede the baby ever since deciding to return to her village. After all, she would know better than they how to deal with this problem. But now Kagome wondered, How is she going to react when she sees a baby Inuyasha?
TO BE CONTINUED