3 years later, a few hours after Kagome's return.
"Kagome-san," Rin asked while they gathered herbs for Kaede, "have you seen Isamu-chan yet? I know you were really worried about him before."
"Not so much now, Rin," Kagome said with a smile. "He's got a family now, and a new Mom to take care of him. I didn't even think to ask."
At this, Rin looked sad. "You mean, you didn't know? The lady that Lady Kaede found to take care of him died right after you left. Isamu-chan is probably out playing in the mud somewhere. He really likes mud," she explained.
Kagome was shocked. "She died?"
Rin nodded. "And InuYasha-san has been helping Lady Kaede take care of him."
"Wow... InuYasha's been helping take care of a kid?" Kagome asked, even more shocked. "This I gotta see..."
"Okay," Rin said happily. "Kaede left Isamu with another family today, one that has a lot of children. I'll tell her you're bringing him home."
As they walked, Kagome quietly wondered how it was that InuYasha was now helping take care of Isamu, especially with the way he had dealt with Shippou years ago. But her thoughts switched over when they reached the little home.
A little boy in a blue kimono was playing with some other little children, mostly older, all dressed in green kimonos. He ran around after them, a big smile on his face as he played. The parents looked on with small smiles, and before Kagome and Rin could reach them all, InuYasha appeared next to the boy, one eyebrow raised. He lifted Isamu by the back of his Kimono and sniffed him suspicously, before turning away in disgust.
"You need Kaede, pup," Kagome heard him say. Isamu grinned.
"Oyagi! Oyagi! Oyagi!" he cried happily, waving his arms out at InuYasha as though he expected to be hugged.
InuYasha rolled his eyes. "Would ya stop calling me that?"
Isamu only giggled.
Kagome laughed, and InuYasha turned around, nearly dropping Isamu and turning bright red. "Kagome!"
"Hi, InuYasha," she giggled. Both InuYasha and Isamu had stopped laughing and were staring at her as she came toward them. "Who is this?" she asked playfully. The little boy only stared at her as though in awe.
"What's your name?" she asked him, grinning. Isamu covered his face with his hands and peeked through his fingers.
"He's not used to new people," InuYasha finally said. "And, um, he needs to be changed."
"Oh really?" Kagome asked. "Not potty trained yet?"
"Not yet!" Rin pipped in.
"Then we ought to take him to Kaede," Kagome agreed. InuYasha said goodbye to the little family, and they walked away, toward Kaede's house. Rin took Isamu from InuYasha and walked a little ahead, and Isamu stared at them, sucking his thumb.
"He's heard stories of you," InuYasha said.
"Has he?"
"Kaede used to tell him about how you found him in that bucket with his mother, and how you wanted to be his new mother, but you couldn't because you were too young," he explained, sounding a little grumpy.
"It was something like that," Kagome admitted. "Rin says you're taking care of him now."
"If picking him up from daycare with the Mizuki's and bringing him to Kaede when he needs to be changed is considered taking care of him, then yes."
Kagome looked up at him, narrowing her eyes. "Why do you do it? I didn't think you liked him, before."
InuYasha sighed. "Because you would have," he answered simply. "And Miroku and Sango were kind of busy, and no one else knows that he's part demon. If they did, he'd be in big trouble. The villagers are barely even used to me, and I protect their village."
"Stupid people," Kagome muttered, shaking her head. She noticed Isamu still staring at her, so she waved at him, and he smiled and waved back with the hand that wasn't in his mouth.
"Mother," he cried happily.
Kagome stared in shock. "Did he just call me mother?"
"Mother! Mother! Mother!" Isamu exclaimed, squirming in Rin's arms. Slightly alarmed, she handed him to Kagome.
"I'm not surprised," muttered InuYasha. Kagome still looked alarmed.
"Why?"
"Kaede used to say that if you ever returned, you would be his mother. He's heard the words "Kagome" and "Mother" in the same sentence so many times along with his name that he's probably convinced you're his mother."
"Like he's convinced that you're an old man?" Kagome teased.
"Something like that," InuYasha said with a small smile.
"OYAGI!" a little boy yelled, running through a field. "OYAGI! OYAGI O-"
Suddenly he squealed; he was being lifted into the air by the back of his Kimono again. Only Oyagi picked him up that way, and not that much because Mother said it stretched his Kimono too much. "Oyagi!" he cried, flailing.
InuYasha set him on the ground and crouched in front of him. "Isamu-chan?" he said, frowning. "What's going on?"
"Sesshomaru-sama is going to kill me!" he yelled frantically. InuYasha raised an eyebrow.
"Oh really?" he asked. "And why is that?"
Isamu bowed his head in embarrassment. "Because I killed Jaken," he stated.
InuYasha's eyes widened. "You what?"
"It was an accident!" the five-year-old exclaimed, bursting into tears. "I accidentally whacked him with a really big stick 'cuz I was pretending it was a sword like you have, and he fell down and didn't get up!"
InuYasha sighed with relief. "Isamu, I doubt you actually killed Jaken," he said, puting Isamu on his back and running toward Kaede's house. "Jaken has been hit with much worse."
"Don't take me there, Oyagi, Sesshomaru-sama will kill me!" Isamu cried.
"And you'll be safer by yourself, where Sesshomaru can find you and I'm not there to protect you? Trust me, Isamu, Jaken is not dead."
"He is dead," Isamu said. "Rin said so!"
"Rin said so, huh? And how did she know he was dead?"
Isamu became silent for a moment before saying, "I dunno. She just yelled that I killed him," the boy said as they arrived at Kaede's house.
Sesshomaru was standing outside, glaring down at the little green demon who Isamu's mother was leaning over. She was trying to heal him, all while he grumbled things like "I hate hanyous" and "where is that bloody child?"
InuYasha set Isamu down beside the little group and said, "see, Isamu? Not dead."
"Isamu!" Rin exclaimed, running to the much younger boy. "Where did you run off to?"
"You said Jaken was dead," Isamu mumbled, "so I ran away."
Rin laughed. "I was just kidding, Isamu-chan! You are so silly!"
"Isamu Kimura," a stern voice said. Isamu looked nervously up at Mother.
"Mother's going to kill me now," he whispered to Oyagi, who snorted.
"Yeah right," he muttered.
"Isamu Kimura, come here," Mother said.
Slowly, Isamu inched closer to the injured Jaken.
"Isamu, I want you to apologize to Jaken for hitting him with a stick and knocking him out."
Isamu took a deep breath before saying very fast, "Sorryforhittingyouwithastickandknockingyouout."
"Say it so we can understand you, pup," InuYasha said, arms crossed.
"Sorry for hitting you with a stick and knocking you out," Isamu said very slowly.
"Hmph. Stupid hanyou."