Chapter 36
Inuyasha was on edge the whole day after the incident. Kagome finished her chores before making a special dinner. Special because she made sure to include the instant noodles that Inuyasha loved so much. Whenever they visited her time, Kagome stocked up on Ninja treats, especially ramen and potato chips, Inuyasha's favorites. Going into the smokehouse, Kagome chose lamb shanks and pork for the meats and from the root cellar, yams, mushrooms, green peppers, and corn for the vegetables, all Inuyasha's favorites. She sautéed the vegetables and braised the pork and lamb. It didn't take long for Inuyasha's nose to carry him into the house from his spot high in the old oak. Kagome was always amazed how his stomach could calm him down.
As the family sat down to dinner, Kagome gave Kohana a lamb bone to gnaw on. She was beginning to teethe and the bone was the greatest teething toy. Kagome had made sure to make extra for Inuyasha, and piled the food in front of him. Mounds of rice, lamb, pork, vegetables and ramen. Inuyasha ate like he hadn't eaten for a year. Kagome had long ago stopped complaining about Inuyasha's lack of gratitude for her cooking, after her mother had told her that a man shows his gratitude for cooking by eating and belching, which Inuyasha was great at. So even if he never told her that her cooking was good (which he did sometimes tell her), the fact that he wolfed down the meal and would release an extremely loud burp at the end was thanks enough for Kagome. She smiled as her husband emptied his bowls and quickly went for seconds.
After dinner, she passed out rice cakes and dumplings for dessert. A normal human would never be able to eat the amount of food that had been on the table that night, but for a house of half-demons, the fact that all the food disappeared was perfectly normal.
After dinner, the family sat on the porch enjoying the soft summer breeze. Kagome told the pups a story of pirates on the high seas before chasing them off to bed. Settling Kohana down for the night, she turned her attention to Inuyasha. Taking Inuyasha by the hand, she led him over to the hillside and the cave. Their place. Kissing him seductively, it didn't take long for them to be in each other's arms, rolling like thunder in the grassy knoll. Kagome knew she could completely get Inuyasha's mind off of that irritating human. This night was more romantic, softer, gentler. Just the two of them, the moon, the stars, and any wayward animals that came upon their mating. As they held each other, completely satisfied, Kagome laid her head on Inuyasha's chest as he stroked her hair and looked in to the midnight sky.
The next day, the family got back into a normal routine. Word came from the castle town that a Harvest Festival was being planned. Enlisting Miroku and Kohaku's help, Inuyasha set up more huts at Kagome's insistence. Sango and Rin agreed to help with the extra guests that Kagome expected. Miroku, always on the lookout for funds, asked if he could tell fortunes for their guests. As Inuyasha scoffed at Miroku's fake fortunes, Kagome laughed and agreed to allow Miroku to set up an area for fortune telling. Kagome decided to make a party atmosphere for the guests that would be staying in the village. An evening bonfire, archery lessons, games, Kohaku & Sango showing off their demon hunting skills, rides on Kirara, Miroku's fortune telling, Rin's crafts, and lots of food and drink. As the festival drew closer, the excitement among the friends increased.
As the week-long festival started, the little old village took on a life of its own. Travelers and festival goers soon made their way to the "Village of the Half-Dog" and Kagome found her little inn and huts filled to capacity. Yasha and Kaori made their own money by running a petting zoo for the children and horseback rentals for those people who were tired of walking. Miroku and Sango's kids offered rides on Kirara back and forth to the castle town. Kagome soon noticed visitors referring to the area as the "Dog-Mountain", or Inuyama. She couldn't believe that the little town she had visited in the future to find Tamae was her home village in the feudal era.
Inuyasha tried to keep to himself throughout the entire festival. He worked in the fields and slaughtered the necessary animals for meals. But, even Inuyasha ended up getting involved when a seasoned farmer took notice of Inuyasha's fine looking adolescent calves. Impressed with the care the half-demon gave to his livestock, the farmer offered Inuyasha a hefty bounty for some of his livestock. The man went by the name of Masa and sealed a deal with Inuyasha that he would return in the future to purchase more of Inuyasha's "excellent lineage livestock."
As the festival ended, and the revelers and travelers started to leave, the families took stock of all that occurred. All three families had earned enough during the past week to keep them solvent throughout the entire winter months and well into the late spring. Inuyasha, while he had buyers in the castle town marketplace, had made a killing with Masa. All of Inuyasha's excess crops sold. The children even had a bounty of cash. As the families celebrated their good fortune, even Inuyasha had to admit, the money earned was worth all the work they had put into their little village that week. Kagome hoped that the festival the castle town had put on was successful enough for the town that they would decide to hold it year after year.
As autumn progressed, the demon family prepared for winter by storing food, planting winter crops, and making winter clothes and blankets. Settling down for sleep just before the winter solstice, Kagome and Inuyasha held each other close and Kagome thanked the gods for their prosperity. Listening to Kagome's even breathing, Inuyasha closed his eyes and relaxed, breathing in her sweet scent. But, something wasn't right. There was another scent in the house. And footsteps. Inuyasha opened his eyes and grabbed Tessaiga, ready to draw the sword at a moment's notice. Remaining extremely quiet, Inuyasha listened as the footsteps drew closer to the bedroom he shared with Kagome. The home was designed so that the only way to get to the nursery and his older pups' beds was through Inuyasha's bedroom. The intruder had to enter the bedroom, and Inuyasha was ready for the kill.
The bedroom door silently slid open and the footsteps entered the bedroom. In one solid movement, Inuyasha was on his feet, Tessaiga drawn and placed at the intruder's throat.