CHAPTER TWELVE
*
"Kaede?"
The old priestess looked up at the sound of Kagome's voice. The girl stepped into the hut, wringing her hands. She looked rather uneasy, as if she were thinking of something unpleasant she hadn't yet said. Kaede set down the herbs she had been drying. "Kagome, is anything amiss? We had not expected ye to return for many days yet..."
"Uh, yeah, neither did I," Kagome said uneasily. "But we ran into a little problem and we, um, needed your advice."
"What sort of problem?" Kaede frowned.
"Look, um," Kagome said hesitantly. "Inuyasha will be here in a minute and... please don't just to any conclusions about him, okay?"
Kaede began to ask further, when the tattered hanging over her door was pushed aside. Inuyasha strode in with a dark scowl on his face. What surprised Kaede was the reed contraption on his back. A baby's face was peeking out of it -- a demon baby. What was even more noticeable: a demon baby with silver hair, golden eyes and dog ears.
Kaede sighed. She had had many years of experience keeping her face expressionless when dealing with other people's problems. But seeing Inuyasha walk in with a little dog-eared child that looked exactly like him.... well, it was testing her limits.
I am growing too old for this, she thought.
"What's the matter?" Kagome asked as Inuyasha sat down beside her.
"Those guys were starin' at me," Inuyasha growled, taking the baby off his back. The child yawned, and Kaede was glad to see that he didn't have fangs. Yet. She sighed again.
"Well, sure they were," Kagome said, tickling the baby's ears. "How many guys in this era do you see carrying a baby around on their backs?"
"Right, that must be it," Inuyasha said acidly.
Kaede looked carefully at the baby. Inuyasha had tucked the child in the crook of his elbow, as if he were used to having it near him. And the little demon child, who looked no more than a few weeks old, was giving Inuyasha's long silver hair a few experimental tugs.
"May I ask ye," she said slowly, "how ye came to have this child?"
"It's not mine!" Inuyasha said loudly.
"I did not say it was," Kaede said slowly. "Yet ye are bringing a young baby with ye, and it seems to resemble ye. There seems to be a story behind this, is there not?"
"Well, it's not mine," Inuyasha repeated, joggling the baby.
"Just pipe down, will you?" Kagome said.
The schoolgirl gave a rather disjointed explanation about how she and Miroku had found the child, and the discoveries they had made about its mother and its mysterious father. Inuyasha avoided looking at Kaede while the story was being told. She smiled a little. Ah, so Inuyasha has taken the little one under his wing, she thought.
"... and so we don't know who the dad is, and so we came back here to ask you what you thought," Kagome finished in a rush. "Not to mention that Inuyasha hasn't put the baby down in two days, except when he wants me to change it. So I need to get a few things from my time."
Kaede frowned. "Tis a difficult situation, aye."
"What do you think we should do?"
"Well, keeping the child is not truly an option," Kaede said. "Ye spend your days hunting Naraku, and taking a child into such danger would be... unwise."
"I know that. I said that all along. Don't you think I know that?" Inuyasha snapped.
"Perhaps ye might leave it in the village. If I might find a family which could take in-"
"OVER MY DEAD BODY!" Instantly Inuyasha was on his feet, clutching the baby protectively to his chest. The child started fussing, upset by the sudden noise. "There's no way I'm leavin' this kid with anyone except his father. He stays with me until we find where he belongs!" He darted out the door, with the sound of unhappy whining trailing after him. Kagome stared after him, looking mildly stunned.
"Tis as I thought," Kaede sighed. She tossed a few of the dried herbs into the fire, and a spicy smell rose from the flames.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Kaede?"
The old priestess looked up at the sound of Kagome's voice. The girl stepped into the hut, wringing her hands. She looked rather uneasy, as if she were thinking of something unpleasant she hadn't yet said. Kaede set down the herbs she had been drying. "Kagome, is anything amiss? We had not expected ye to return for many days yet..."
"Uh, yeah, neither did I," Kagome said uneasily. "But we ran into a little problem and we, um, needed your advice."
"What sort of problem?" Kaede frowned.
"Look, um," Kagome said hesitantly. "Inuyasha will be here in a minute and... please don't just to any conclusions about him, okay?"
Kaede began to ask further, when the tattered hanging over her door was pushed aside. Inuyasha strode in with a dark scowl on his face. What surprised Kaede was the reed contraption on his back. A baby's face was peeking out of it -- a demon baby. What was even more noticeable: a demon baby with silver hair, golden eyes and dog ears.
Kaede sighed. She had had many years of experience keeping her face expressionless when dealing with other people's problems. But seeing Inuyasha walk in with a little dog-eared child that looked exactly like him.... well, it was testing her limits.
I am growing too old for this, she thought.
"What's the matter?" Kagome asked as Inuyasha sat down beside her.
"Those guys were starin' at me," Inuyasha growled, taking the baby off his back. The child yawned, and Kaede was glad to see that he didn't have fangs. Yet. She sighed again.
"Well, sure they were," Kagome said, tickling the baby's ears. "How many guys in this era do you see carrying a baby around on their backs?"
"Right, that must be it," Inuyasha said acidly.
Kaede looked carefully at the baby. Inuyasha had tucked the child in the crook of his elbow, as if he were used to having it near him. And the little demon child, who looked no more than a few weeks old, was giving Inuyasha's long silver hair a few experimental tugs.
"May I ask ye," she said slowly, "how ye came to have this child?"
"It's not mine!" Inuyasha said loudly.
"I did not say it was," Kaede said slowly. "Yet ye are bringing a young baby with ye, and it seems to resemble ye. There seems to be a story behind this, is there not?"
"Well, it's not mine," Inuyasha repeated, joggling the baby.
"Just pipe down, will you?" Kagome said.
The schoolgirl gave a rather disjointed explanation about how she and Miroku had found the child, and the discoveries they had made about its mother and its mysterious father. Inuyasha avoided looking at Kaede while the story was being told. She smiled a little. Ah, so Inuyasha has taken the little one under his wing, she thought.
"... and so we don't know who the dad is, and so we came back here to ask you what you thought," Kagome finished in a rush. "Not to mention that Inuyasha hasn't put the baby down in two days, except when he wants me to change it. So I need to get a few things from my time."
Kaede frowned. "Tis a difficult situation, aye."
"What do you think we should do?"
"Well, keeping the child is not truly an option," Kaede said. "Ye spend your days hunting Naraku, and taking a child into such danger would be... unwise."
"I know that. I said that all along. Don't you think I know that?" Inuyasha snapped.
"Perhaps ye might leave it in the village. If I might find a family which could take in-"
"OVER MY DEAD BODY!" Instantly Inuyasha was on his feet, clutching the baby protectively to his chest. The child started fussing, upset by the sudden noise. "There's no way I'm leavin' this kid with anyone except his father. He stays with me until we find where he belongs!" He darted out the door, with the sound of unhappy whining trailing after him. Kagome stared after him, looking mildly stunned.
"Tis as I thought," Kaede sighed. She tossed a few of the dried herbs into the fire, and a spicy smell rose from the flames.
TO BE CONTINUED