Chapter 68

"As far as I am concerned, you're not my dad. You may be my father, but there's a difference. A dad is someone who stays with the family!", Kagome said, roughly.

"Now now, dear girl. I know your father left you, but you still need to give him your respect. I called him after all these years because I need help running the shrine.", her grandfather said, and then started wheezing.

"Gramps? Are you ok?", Kagome asked, worried.

Getting over the wheezing, he told her he was alright, but a nurse passing by came in and said,

"Visiting hours will soon be over and Mr. Higurashi needs his rest.", the nurse advised and then left.

"Ok, gramps, I'm going home. I'll see you tomorrow.", Kagome said, as she walked past the man who had abandoned his family so many years ago with not so much as a second look.

"Wait, Kagome,", her dad called to her, "Let me treat you to dinner so we can talk about this. As adults."

"You leave and then pop in after 29 years and expect me to just embrace you?", she asked incredulously.

"Has it been that long?", he asked wistfully.

"Yes! I was 8 and I'm now 37. I've been married for 18 years and I have no use for you now. I have a man in my life who won't ever leave me.", Kagome said, then thinking, 'Again.'

"Please let us just talk.", he insisted.

Giving up the battle, she said, "Fine, Higurashi, we'll talk. I'm hungry and I won't argue if YOU pay for dinner."

"Higurashi? Not father?", he queried.

"Don't push your luck or I'm going home to eat with my family.", she said as she walked out the hospital doors.

Her father took her to a nice restaurant, where he ordered fugu and she ordered the most expensive item on the menu. Secretly, she hoped that the chef would screw up the fugu, but she knew the chef in this restaurant was known for being a great fugu chef. Her father started their conversation,

"So you said you were married. Gee, you don't look a day over 19. Either he is great for you or you have a great plastic surgeon."

Kagome huffed at this comment, "No, he IS great for me. He is a wonderful provider."

"So who is he?"

"His name is Shinwa, Inuyasha.", she threw the name out off handedly.

"WHAT? THE Shinwa, Inuyasha? You're married to the richest man in Japan? Dad didn't tell me that."

Kagome looked at her father, stunned. She hadn't thought about her future self. After that little nightmare with Wendell, she had forgotten all about the future for her and Inuyasha. Inuyasha was the richest man in Japan? What was in store for them? Quickly recovering, she said,

"Yea, well. I asked him to not brag about it."

"I wonder then why he asked for my help with the shrine. Certainly, you are rich enough to provide help for him."

"Yes, well, maybe it's because he is getting old and may die soon and he wanted to see you.", she responded, pointedly.

"I left because he wanted me to finish the monastery and take over the shrine and I refused. You don't realize how hard he was to live with, what with him bugging me all the time about it. And his stories. All those myths and legends that he foolishly believed. Demons and all that crap. How do you stand all that? Surely, you don't believe all that bull?"

"Hmm. I didn't at first. But, now I do.", she said quietly.

"Oh? What made you change your mind?"

"Just an experience I had. Never mind.", she said, hurriedly, "Look, I have to go and get back home. My youngest won't sleep unless I'm there."

"Oh, needs his mother there, heh?"

"No. It's just he'll stay up playing with the video games and all the other toys that he doesn't have where we live.", she said, absentmindedly.

"You don't have video games? And you have kids? What kid in Japan doesn't have a video game?"

"Mine don't, ok? We live in the feu ... ahhh ... we live in a rural area. No TV no video games."

As she got up to leave, her father stopped her, "I'll come by tomorrow and meet this husband of yours. I guess if he's rich, he's ok in my book."

"I don't care what you think of him, but, whatever.", she said, with a wave of her hand as she walked out of the restaurant, disgusted, but thoughtful.

'So, we're rich in this era. At least he's alive.', she thought happily as she boarded the train for home.

Arriving home, she was glad to see that Inuyasha had gotten Hiroshi, Kohana, and Jasmine to bed. Kazuo was laying on his father's lap and Kaori and Yasha were playing a kung fu game on the Playstation.

"Mama! Mama!", cried Kazuo, as he ran into her arms for a kiss. She picked up her youngest and hugged and kissed him. Inuyasha was dozing on the couch so she just placed a peck on the top of his head and went into the kitchen to see her mother.

"Hello, dear. How is father? He was awfully weak this morning.", her mother said.

"He's ok, Mama.", she said, and then asked, "Mama, did you know Father was there?"

"Oh dear. Was he? I knew your grandfather had called him, but I had hoped you wouldn't run into him until I had a chance to tell you. But, when I came back you were already gone. I was worried you would run into him."

"Well, we did and he's obnoxious.", Kagome commented, dryly.

"He didn't used to be that way.", her mother commented.

"By the way, that reminds me, when I told him Inuyasha's name, he said Inuyasha was the richest man in Japan. What do you know about that?"

"Oh boy! You really shouldn't know too much about your future, but yes, Inuyasha does make a name for himself and yes, your future self does stop by. The children are, of course, grown now. And you do have more than 6, by the way. But, that is all I will tell you."

Kagome thought about this and then said, "Speaking of more children, I'm pregnant. I'm due in the fall."

"Oh, honey, I'm so happy for you. You should go to that demon doctor and have a check up. I'll make an appointment for you in the morning. Is there anything else you want to talk about tonight?"

"No mom. But, I wanted to let you know that HE is coming over tomorrow to meet Inuyasha."

"WHAT? No he can't. Inuyasha now looks human and his hair is short. This Inuyasha has silver-hair."

"The magic necklaces. I don't know if I brought them.", and then she looked into the living room, where she saw Inuyasha's head above the couch. "And besides the silver mane, there's a couple of things of sure he's bound to notice.", she said, as she saw his ears twitch.