InuYasha sat, a cup of tea in his hands. He tried to focus on the faces around him, and not that of the young girl. InuYami was lying on a small pallet in the living room. Her face was devoid of any expression or life. The hanyou's golden gaze flickered briefly from the face of Kagome to that of InuYami, then back again.
"How long has it been now?" Sango asked, her hand resting on kitten Kilala's back.
"Three days," InuYasha murmured, even though the question had not been directed at him. "And she still hasn't regained consciousness...It worries me. She's a demon; she should have recovered by now. I'm only half demon, and everything from that night is gone. It was gone when I woke up the next day."
"She is much smaller than you are," Miroku pointed out mildly. "And what she went through was much different than what you did. You had to cope with physical pain and tiredness. She had to cope with realization that she had been used, not to mention having most of her life stolen from her. She's not as sturdy as you think she is, InuYasha."
InuYasha sighed. "I know...Damn. I can't help feeling like this is all my fault, though."
"It's not," Kagome assured him. "She went to the attic of her own free will, she chose to keep seeing Sesshoumaru, she brought it on herself. You can't blame yourself." She paused. "And I'm being bluntly honest, yes, I know. I'm just as worried as you are."
Tsugaru drew closer to his mother. She was his only consolation so long as InuYami was out of commission. He just couldn't find as much comfort in his father as he could in his mother. Perhaps it was the issue of demon blood. He sighed. "I just wish she'd wake up soon...I'm scared."
"Don't be," Kagome murmured. "You're not alone, Tsuga...We're all here for you."
"I want Yami!" he cried, burying his face in her side. His mother wrapped her arms around him, rocking back and forth gently.
InuYasha got to his feet while the pair was distracted. There was a definition to the relationships. Kagome had Tsugaru. InuYasha had InuYami. She had a human son. He had a demon daughter. He sat down beside the makeshift bed and stroked her hair gently. InuYami was alive, but at the same time, dead. She breathed and moved occasionally, yet she had yet to open her eyes or speak. He sighed. A hand was laid on his shoulder. He turned to see Sango beside him.
"She'll wake up when she's recovered," the woman promised. "You're not going to bring her out of this by yourself. Just be patient. She's alive, which is more than you could have said if you hadn't cut the life-cord." InuYasha nodded. "Come on back and eat something. There's something about your stride that says you've been starving yourself."
The hanyou grinned wryly. It was true. Three days had passed since his last meal. He allowed Sango to lead him back to the rest of the group, where he sat down and grabbed a rice ball. He ate slowly, trying not to remember how much InuYami loved the food in his hands. Miroku leaned back.
"Well..." he began, obviously trying to break the uncomfortable silence. "...Ah...Er...Um..."
"Spit it out," Sango ordered sharply.
"Will you bear my children?" he asked suddenly, taking both her hands in one of his. Sango jumped, startled.
"You haven't asked me that in months...Or years..." Sango blinked up at him, then her gaze hardened. Miroku's face was calm and happy. Sango lashed out, catching him across the face. He dropped back, a red handprint appearing on his cheek. "Not...ever..."
Kagome shook her head. "What are we going to do with him?"
"You don't wanna know...and I'm not gonna say in front of the children." Sango gritted her teeth angrily. She raised a fist, then let it fall to her side.
Tsugaru had been watching the whole incident with great interest. He cocked his head to one side. "Mr. Miroku?" he asked. "Why were you touching Ms. Sango there? My Mommy says that I should never let people do that to me. Is it different for grown-ups?"
Miroku opened his mouth to say something, closed it again, and repeated the process a few more times. Finally he spoke. "Well...you shouldn't...that is to say...What I mean is...Uh..."
"Tsugaru, perhaps you should just forget the whole thing," Sango said. "It's really between me and Mr. Miroku."
Tsugaru nodded innocently. InuYasha chuckled softly. "You backed yourself right into that one," he muttered. He glanced over at InuYami, then took another bite of rice ball. "I waffn't gonna helf you."
"I know," Miroku mumbled, rubbing his cheek.
The hanyou returned his attention to the food in his hands. Three days...Three days. It had been three days since Sesshoumaru had risen again. Three days since he found out his daughter's secret. Three days since he had last heard her voice. If she didn't drink soon, she would die. Maybe we should take her back to Kaogme's time...there could be people who could help her there. He heard a soft sniffing and looked up. Tsugaru was starting to cry again.
"Don't cry," Kagome was whispering to him. "It'll be okay..."
InuYasha was content to just let her soothe him, but something was distracting him. There was another sniffing sound...this one more insistent. Someone was trying to draw in a scent. He heard a soft voice behind him ask, "Are those Mom's rice balls I smell? Someone was going to wake me up, right?" He turned.
Standing behind him was InuYami. She rubbed at one eye sleepily, looking for all the world like a child who had woken up in the middle of the night. InuYasha swept her up, holding her close. "Yami..." he whispered, breathing in her gentle scent. The youkai hugged him back.
"Dad...I'm sorry."
"It's all over now. Come on, you need something to eat."
"Breakfast?"
"Lunch, actually." He put her down on the floor. "Sit down."
InuYami sat cross-legged beside him and grabbed a rice ball. She took huge gulps of the food, smiling and licking her lips happily. Kagome handed her a glass of milk. "Don't eat so fast, InuYami. You'll give yourself a stomachache."
"She'll be fine," InuYasha said. "She needs to eat." He laid a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him. The golden stares met, and the two demons gazed at each other. InuYami saw relief and love glow in her father's eyes. InuYasha saw contentment and pure strength burn in his daughter's. He smiled. Why had he even doubted her?
Shippou, who had been relatively silent, chose now to break the tender mood. Silently, he crept up behind InuYasha and made bunny ears over the demon's head. InuYami giggled. InuYasha turned around, but Shippou disguised himself on the wall. When the hanyou turned back to his daughter, the fox demon struck again, using both hands to make "moose antlers." Again, InuYami laughed. InuYasha did not turn, but waited. When Shippou got ready for another attempt, the white doggy ears twitched. InuYasha reached out behind and snatched Shippou off the ground.
"Don't..." he warned, and released Shippou. The fox demon scurried off to sit by Tsugaru, his tail low.
InuYami looked from smiling face to smiling face. She put down her cup and stood up. The golden eyes flicked from person to person as she spoke. "I have something to say...I'm...really sorry...I didn't know he was going to...I just didn't think..." Her vision blurred as tears rose into her eyes. She sat back down, rubbing her eyes furiously. Why did she have to cry now?
"Don't blame yourself. You're a child. You wouldn't have known." Her father's voice was gentle and calm. "What happened, happened. No one can change that." He put a finger under InuYami's chin and lifted it to gaze into her eyes. "And no one can change how much I love you, InuYami."
InuYami made a soft mewing noise that signaled more tears. She tackled him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Together they sat, locked in that simple embrace. It was almost impossible to tell the two demons apart from each other. In the tenderness of the moment, the hanyou momentarily lost his iron grip on his emotions. A single shining tear slid down his cheek.
A/N: And so ends my first InuYasha fanfiction. Thank you especially to The-world-needs-peace for reviewing so faithfully. I hope you enjoyed it. (nudge) If you want me to write another, I'd do it. ;)