CHAPTER FOURTEEN
*
"Hey, Inuyasha?" Shippo said, peeking over Inuyasha's elbow at the baby.
"Yeah, what?"
"Can I hold the baby?"
Inuyasha glanced down at the squirming baby in his arms. Then he sized up the tiny kitsune standing expectantly in front of him. "No," he said firmly.
"Why not?" Shippo asked indignantly.
"Cause he's BIGGER'n you."
"Am not!" Shippo insisted. Without saying a word, Inuyasha held out the baby beside Shippo, resting the little curled feet on the floor. The kitsune stared at the baby for a moment, then added, "He's not a lot bigger, right?"
"Feh," Inuyasha snorted. He pulled the baby back and cuddled it against his chest, wondering when Kagome was going to get back. She had gone through the well to get what she called "essentials in babysitting." Diapers, something called formula, bottles, and other things for a baby. Inuyasha had to assume that she knew what she was doing -- he knew next to nothing about taking care of babies. They were little and helpless, they cried and had to be fed. That was about it.
He kept it hidden, but Kaede's words had made him uneasy. Responsible? he thought. How am I supposed to take care of a baby and hunt down Naraku? How the hell did I become responsible for the kid? Why'm I more responsible than Miroku or Sango or Kagome?
The baby fussed a little, and Inuyasha absently stuck his finger in the little half-demon's mouth.
And how the hell am I supposed to explain the whelp to... to anyone we meet? he thought. Koga and Kikyo were two of the people he worried about. if Koga put one finger on the baby, Inuyasha would string him up with his own tail, even if Kagome did like him. And how was he supposed to explain the baby to Kikyo? His former love's thoughts were still a complete mystery to him, unless she chose to tell him. What was she going to think when she saw him next, with a little dog-eared baby cuddled in his arms? Probably the wrong thing...
"You're making my life real complicated," he said to the baby. The child just stared at him with round golden eyes.
Miroku surfaced from his talk with Sango long enough to say, "Well, if you allowed a family in this village to take care of him-"
"Keep sayin' that, and somebody is gonna get his hand stuffed down his throat," Inuyasha said tensely. "This baby isn't going to stay with anyone except his family. No way am I leavin' him alone."
He remained cuddling the baby until he heard the sound of Kagome's bike outside. When she came in, she had a duffel bag slung over her shoulder. She called, "I'm back! I got the things I needed... but from the way that clerk was staring, I know I can't go back to that store ever again." She pulled the bag open. "Disposable diapers, bottles, formula, and I got a book on baby care."
Inuyasha stared at the book cover. "This is for human babies."
"Excuse me, they didn't have one for demon babies," Kagome said, plucking the book from his hand. She began digging through the bag again. "Let's see, baby powder, a little cap in case it gets cold, some more blankets..."
"Just how much do whelps need?" Inuyasha demanded.
"They need a lot when they're little," Kagome said loftily. Suddenly she smiled. "And I found something else on the way back here, too."
"What's that?" Inuyasha asked. He lifted the baby
"Lord Inuyasha!" A tiny moving dot bounced from somewhere in Kagome's dark hair. It was a tiny gray-haired demon flea; he landed on Inuyasha's shoulder.
Inuyasha sighed. "Myoga?"
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Hey, Inuyasha?" Shippo said, peeking over Inuyasha's elbow at the baby.
"Yeah, what?"
"Can I hold the baby?"
Inuyasha glanced down at the squirming baby in his arms. Then he sized up the tiny kitsune standing expectantly in front of him. "No," he said firmly.
"Why not?" Shippo asked indignantly.
"Cause he's BIGGER'n you."
"Am not!" Shippo insisted. Without saying a word, Inuyasha held out the baby beside Shippo, resting the little curled feet on the floor. The kitsune stared at the baby for a moment, then added, "He's not a lot bigger, right?"
"Feh," Inuyasha snorted. He pulled the baby back and cuddled it against his chest, wondering when Kagome was going to get back. She had gone through the well to get what she called "essentials in babysitting." Diapers, something called formula, bottles, and other things for a baby. Inuyasha had to assume that she knew what she was doing -- he knew next to nothing about taking care of babies. They were little and helpless, they cried and had to be fed. That was about it.
He kept it hidden, but Kaede's words had made him uneasy. Responsible? he thought. How am I supposed to take care of a baby and hunt down Naraku? How the hell did I become responsible for the kid? Why'm I more responsible than Miroku or Sango or Kagome?
The baby fussed a little, and Inuyasha absently stuck his finger in the little half-demon's mouth.
And how the hell am I supposed to explain the whelp to... to anyone we meet? he thought. Koga and Kikyo were two of the people he worried about. if Koga put one finger on the baby, Inuyasha would string him up with his own tail, even if Kagome did like him. And how was he supposed to explain the baby to Kikyo? His former love's thoughts were still a complete mystery to him, unless she chose to tell him. What was she going to think when she saw him next, with a little dog-eared baby cuddled in his arms? Probably the wrong thing...
"You're making my life real complicated," he said to the baby. The child just stared at him with round golden eyes.
Miroku surfaced from his talk with Sango long enough to say, "Well, if you allowed a family in this village to take care of him-"
"Keep sayin' that, and somebody is gonna get his hand stuffed down his throat," Inuyasha said tensely. "This baby isn't going to stay with anyone except his family. No way am I leavin' him alone."
He remained cuddling the baby until he heard the sound of Kagome's bike outside. When she came in, she had a duffel bag slung over her shoulder. She called, "I'm back! I got the things I needed... but from the way that clerk was staring, I know I can't go back to that store ever again." She pulled the bag open. "Disposable diapers, bottles, formula, and I got a book on baby care."
Inuyasha stared at the book cover. "This is for human babies."
"Excuse me, they didn't have one for demon babies," Kagome said, plucking the book from his hand. She began digging through the bag again. "Let's see, baby powder, a little cap in case it gets cold, some more blankets..."
"Just how much do whelps need?" Inuyasha demanded.
"They need a lot when they're little," Kagome said loftily. Suddenly she smiled. "And I found something else on the way back here, too."
"What's that?" Inuyasha asked. He lifted the baby
"Lord Inuyasha!" A tiny moving dot bounced from somewhere in Kagome's dark hair. It was a tiny gray-haired demon flea; he landed on Inuyasha's shoulder.
Inuyasha sighed. "Myoga?"
TO BE CONTINUED