CHAPTER SEVEN
*
Inuyasha's father was still sunk in his own thoughts, with his now-cold cup of ramen cupped in his large hands. Kagome had the feeling that he wasn't trying to ignore the others, but was trying to remember. Trying to adjust. He looked a little like Inuyasha did when he was unhappy about something, and trying to work it out in his mind.
He's incredible, Kagome thought, sitting down on the log opposite him. He destroyed that farm, even though he was stumbling around with amnesia... I guess it's no surprise. Tetsusaiga's a really powerful sword, and it was made out of only one of his fangs.
She frowned. I guess this must be a big change for him. He died when Inuyasha was little. Suddenly he's not only alive again, but over sixty years have passed, and his son has grown up without him. He must be so confused... and lonely too.
She glanced over at where Inuyasha was sitting. The young half-demon was crouched on a rock precipice overlooking the valley, staring at the moon. He hadn't spoken a word to anyone all evening. Kagome went quietly to his side, watching him. "Pretty night, isn't it?" she said.
"Hrmph."
"It's getting a little chilly out here. Do you want a blanket?"
"No thank you." There was an edge of sarcasm to his voice.
Kagome knelt down beside him, her eyes softening. "Is there a reason why you're staying away from everyone else? It's your dad, isn't it? He's the only change over the last day..."
Inuyasha didn't say anything, but he didn't meet her eyes.
"What's wrong with your dad?" Kagome asked, trying to see his face. He evaded her by looking in the other direction. "Are you... scared of him? Are you afraid he won't want you around?"
Inuyasha said nothing.
So that's it, Kagome thought. She touched his elbow, not sure what she could say. "Inuyasha... I'm sure no matter what, your dad's going to love you anyway. I mean, he made Tetsusaiga for you, didn't he? That's a pretty obvious sign if you ask me."
Inuyasha still didn't say anything. Kagome wished that she could see his face, to get a better idea of what he was feeling, and how she could try to reassure him. But she also knew that he wanted to be alone. "Well, if you need anything..." she said lamely. She stood and walked back to the campfire, looking over her shoulder at him.
Shippo was munching on a roasted fish. As he finished, he tugged on the Dog-Lord's too-small sleeve. "Hey."
The older demon blinked and looked at him.
"Are you really Inuyasha's dad?" Shippo asked.
The Dog-Lord actually looked a little amused. "I am. I do not know of any of you, however."
There was a long, awkward pause. Finally Miroku said slowly, "I think that was a cue for us to all introduce ourselves."
"Oh," Kagome said, feeling a little foolish. "Um, I'm Kagome. I travel with Inuyasha, and we've been... um, we've been looking for some certain things for several months now. This is Miroku. He's a, um, a monk, as you can see. And don't let Inuyasha tell you otherwise; he's really nice underneath it all. The girl with the boomerang is Sango. She's a demon-slayer, and she... um, well, she's trying to get revenge for her village against a demon that Inuyasha is hunting. And this is Shippo-"
"Hello," Shippo said, waving.
"He's an fox-demon who Inuyasha and I met a long time ago. Because he's an orphan, Inuyasha let him come along with us," Kagome finished breathlessly. "That about describes everybody."
The Dog-Lord looked a little surprised at the odd people Inuyasha was traveling with, but nodded slowly. His golden eyes slowly roamed over the faces of the people around him, finally settling on Inuyasha's crouched, darkened form. "Why do you travel with him?" he said finally.
"Well, I sort of... well, you know about the Shikon jewel?" Kagome said nervously. "Well, I met Inuyasha right around the time it got shattered, and we've been collecting the pieces." Better not to mention Naraku until later, she decided. He was confused enough as it was.
"I see. And you befriended him."
"Not... well, not at first. When I first really met him, he insulted me and then chased me around the woods, trying to take off my head." Kagome tried to giggle to lighten the mood, but it came out wrong. "But, um, well, we started getting along pretty quickly. It took him awhile, but he started softening up."
The Dog-Lord's heavy brows lifted slightly in surprise. "I see."
"Um, how about some more food?" Kagome said, suddenly wondering if she had just blurted out the wrong thing.
*
I don't know anymore, Inuyasha thought. A cold wind blew his white hair over his eyes, and he absently brushed it away.
His hand strayed down to the rather battered sword at his side. Until the past day, all he had really known about his father was tied to that sword. It had been made specially for him, as a weapon and a safeguard, and he'd give up the hand that held it before he gave up his sword. He didn't have much from his father -- only the steel fang, and the unspoken assurance that his father must have cared about him.
He hasn't seen me for over sixty years, Inuyasha thought. I was just a kid when he died. I don't even remember him... just a little bit of a scent that I wouldn't have known was his. Ever since he died... I haven't exactly grown up to be what he expected. It was a lot easier when he was dead... to think that he would've approved of me. Now... now that's he turned up alive, I don't know anymore. I don't know anything about him, or how he thought, or how he wanted me to be. I don't really... KNOW my father at all.
Inuyasha stiffened as he heard his father coming closer. He felt the Dog-Lord's penetrating eyes watching him, waiting for him to move or speak. Unwilling to meet his father's face, Inuyasha hunched over and studied the swaying trees under him.
"You've grown quite a lot since I saw you last," the Dog-Lord's deep voice said.
"Well, it's been sixty years," Inuyasha said. It sounded crabbier than he had hoped it would.
"Sixty years," the Dog-Lord repeated. Inuyasha couldn't tell what that was in his voice. Sadness? Thoughtfulness? Disapproval?
There was another long, awkward silence, that was broken only by the sound of the fire. Then Inuyasha heard his father turn and walk back to the campsite, leaving the half-demon alone with his thoughts.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
Inuyasha's father was still sunk in his own thoughts, with his now-cold cup of ramen cupped in his large hands. Kagome had the feeling that he wasn't trying to ignore the others, but was trying to remember. Trying to adjust. He looked a little like Inuyasha did when he was unhappy about something, and trying to work it out in his mind.
He's incredible, Kagome thought, sitting down on the log opposite him. He destroyed that farm, even though he was stumbling around with amnesia... I guess it's no surprise. Tetsusaiga's a really powerful sword, and it was made out of only one of his fangs.
She frowned. I guess this must be a big change for him. He died when Inuyasha was little. Suddenly he's not only alive again, but over sixty years have passed, and his son has grown up without him. He must be so confused... and lonely too.
She glanced over at where Inuyasha was sitting. The young half-demon was crouched on a rock precipice overlooking the valley, staring at the moon. He hadn't spoken a word to anyone all evening. Kagome went quietly to his side, watching him. "Pretty night, isn't it?" she said.
"Hrmph."
"It's getting a little chilly out here. Do you want a blanket?"
"No thank you." There was an edge of sarcasm to his voice.
Kagome knelt down beside him, her eyes softening. "Is there a reason why you're staying away from everyone else? It's your dad, isn't it? He's the only change over the last day..."
Inuyasha didn't say anything, but he didn't meet her eyes.
"What's wrong with your dad?" Kagome asked, trying to see his face. He evaded her by looking in the other direction. "Are you... scared of him? Are you afraid he won't want you around?"
Inuyasha said nothing.
So that's it, Kagome thought. She touched his elbow, not sure what she could say. "Inuyasha... I'm sure no matter what, your dad's going to love you anyway. I mean, he made Tetsusaiga for you, didn't he? That's a pretty obvious sign if you ask me."
Inuyasha still didn't say anything. Kagome wished that she could see his face, to get a better idea of what he was feeling, and how she could try to reassure him. But she also knew that he wanted to be alone. "Well, if you need anything..." she said lamely. She stood and walked back to the campfire, looking over her shoulder at him.
Shippo was munching on a roasted fish. As he finished, he tugged on the Dog-Lord's too-small sleeve. "Hey."
The older demon blinked and looked at him.
"Are you really Inuyasha's dad?" Shippo asked.
The Dog-Lord actually looked a little amused. "I am. I do not know of any of you, however."
There was a long, awkward pause. Finally Miroku said slowly, "I think that was a cue for us to all introduce ourselves."
"Oh," Kagome said, feeling a little foolish. "Um, I'm Kagome. I travel with Inuyasha, and we've been... um, we've been looking for some certain things for several months now. This is Miroku. He's a, um, a monk, as you can see. And don't let Inuyasha tell you otherwise; he's really nice underneath it all. The girl with the boomerang is Sango. She's a demon-slayer, and she... um, well, she's trying to get revenge for her village against a demon that Inuyasha is hunting. And this is Shippo-"
"Hello," Shippo said, waving.
"He's an fox-demon who Inuyasha and I met a long time ago. Because he's an orphan, Inuyasha let him come along with us," Kagome finished breathlessly. "That about describes everybody."
The Dog-Lord looked a little surprised at the odd people Inuyasha was traveling with, but nodded slowly. His golden eyes slowly roamed over the faces of the people around him, finally settling on Inuyasha's crouched, darkened form. "Why do you travel with him?" he said finally.
"Well, I sort of... well, you know about the Shikon jewel?" Kagome said nervously. "Well, I met Inuyasha right around the time it got shattered, and we've been collecting the pieces." Better not to mention Naraku until later, she decided. He was confused enough as it was.
"I see. And you befriended him."
"Not... well, not at first. When I first really met him, he insulted me and then chased me around the woods, trying to take off my head." Kagome tried to giggle to lighten the mood, but it came out wrong. "But, um, well, we started getting along pretty quickly. It took him awhile, but he started softening up."
The Dog-Lord's heavy brows lifted slightly in surprise. "I see."
"Um, how about some more food?" Kagome said, suddenly wondering if she had just blurted out the wrong thing.
*
I don't know anymore, Inuyasha thought. A cold wind blew his white hair over his eyes, and he absently brushed it away.
His hand strayed down to the rather battered sword at his side. Until the past day, all he had really known about his father was tied to that sword. It had been made specially for him, as a weapon and a safeguard, and he'd give up the hand that held it before he gave up his sword. He didn't have much from his father -- only the steel fang, and the unspoken assurance that his father must have cared about him.
He hasn't seen me for over sixty years, Inuyasha thought. I was just a kid when he died. I don't even remember him... just a little bit of a scent that I wouldn't have known was his. Ever since he died... I haven't exactly grown up to be what he expected. It was a lot easier when he was dead... to think that he would've approved of me. Now... now that's he turned up alive, I don't know anymore. I don't know anything about him, or how he thought, or how he wanted me to be. I don't really... KNOW my father at all.
Inuyasha stiffened as he heard his father coming closer. He felt the Dog-Lord's penetrating eyes watching him, waiting for him to move or speak. Unwilling to meet his father's face, Inuyasha hunched over and studied the swaying trees under him.
"You've grown quite a lot since I saw you last," the Dog-Lord's deep voice said.
"Well, it's been sixty years," Inuyasha said. It sounded crabbier than he had hoped it would.
"Sixty years," the Dog-Lord repeated. Inuyasha couldn't tell what that was in his voice. Sadness? Thoughtfulness? Disapproval?
There was another long, awkward silence, that was broken only by the sound of the fire. Then Inuyasha heard his father turn and walk back to the campsite, leaving the half-demon alone with his thoughts.
TO BE CONTINUED