I'm back! Please forgive me for the delay! I've been really busy at college, and it's exam week. After Friday, I should be able to work a lot more on this story. Thank you for your patience. Just to let everyone know, I will not cancel this story. This is my first, and I refuse to let it go unfinished. If I take a while to update, it is because I'm busy with college. Thank you again for your patience, and enjoy Chapter 13 of "A Warrior's Heart." –Love, MyaG. ((())
Chapter 13
Koga found Kagome staring out over the village numbly. The look on her face made him pause momentarily, but he stepped towards her anyway.
"Did you expect him to be waiting for you?" Koga asked.
Kagome blinked and turned to see him behind her. "Koga? I… I don't know. I guess I just expected him to at least be happy to see me."
"Well Kagome, I don't see him panting at your leg. You have to admit though, that you were rough on the guy," Koga said.
Kagome snapped around. "So you're on his side!?! I thought you were mortal rivals!"
"He has a mate, Kagome!" Koga defended himself. "You told me what happened, that you slapped him and insulted the guy. Give him a break for not waiting for your grand return!"
"Shut up! You have no idea how I feel!" Kagome snapped, stomping off. "Will you men just leave me alone!?!"
Koga stood dumbfounded at the spot as he watched Kagome march away. "What was that!? Women…" he huffed, heading the other way.
"So you traveled with my mama and papa, Shippo?" Hanna asked.
"That's right," Shippo nodded proudly.
"Wow…" Hanna smiled as they sat down outside on the landing. She watched as Shippo stood straight and proud from the attention the girl was giving her.
"By the way," Shippo started. "I have to say I'm impressed with those traps you dug in the forest. It was genius."
Hanna smiled. "Oh, that was easy. I just figured if I dug enough holes, then someone would have to fall in one of them. What about you, Shippo? Do you have any tricks?"
"Sure I do!" Shippo exclaimed. "Fox Fire!!"
The kitsune threw his spinning top, and it spun on the ground, growing to be bigger than either of them. Hanna gasped with wide, brown eyes.
"Shippo! That's so amazing!" Hanna exclaimed as Shippo landed next to her and the top dwindled back to normal size.
"Heh. Glad you like it," the kitsune fox smirked as he snapped his wrist, catching the toy.
Hanna nodded excitedly. "I really do, Shippo!"
"Don't let Shippo charm you, Hanna." The children turned to see InuYasha walking towards them from inside the hut. The hanyou sat down on the porch and smirked at Shippo as his daughter climbed into his lap. "The twerp's learning bad habits from Miroku."
"Hey! How can you say that with a straight face, InuYasha!?! I didn't ask her to bear my child or touch her bottom, did I!?!" Shippo spazed with his little fangs bared at the older man. He paused at Hanna's wide-eyed look and sweat dropped, blushing crimson. "I mean… not that I would…. Um…."
Inu chuckled and tousled the kitsune fox's hair. "Still hot headed, huh Shippo? You're always good for a tease."
Hanna giggled, and Shippo's glare softened to a clumsy smile. The fox rubbed the back of his head as he chuckled.
InuYasha smirked again and sighed as he leaned back on his elbows. Gazing out at the scene of villagers going about on their daily lives, he felt peaceful and completely relaxed. "How long are you and the others staying around, Shippo?"
The kitsune cub blinked and folded his arms in thought. "I… don't know. I don't think Kagome and the others will stay long…." He fell silent, and his bangs fell over his eyes. "InuYasha?"
"Yeah, Shippo?" InuYasha pushed, shifting so Hanna could climb into his lap.
Shippo jumped up to stand and faced the older man with determination in his eyes. "InuYasha…. InuYasha, I want to stay her with you, Sango, and Hanna!!!!"
Hanna smiled brightly and shifted her father's lap to look up at him. "Papa?"
Inu blinked. 'I didn't think he would come out and say it. Sango and I thought we'd have to drag it out of him.'
"You want to live here?" Inu clarified.
Shippo nodded. "Things haven't been the same since you and Sango left! Miroku is impatient; Koga's a jerk; and Kagome's is always either sad or angry!! Sometimes, I think Kagome was just angry she couldn't find so she could sit you!!!"
InuYasha snorted. "I'm not surprised…." He fell silent then and gazed back out to the scenery once more. Shippo gulped, frightened the hanyou would say tough luck or deal with it. He blinked surprised emerald eyes when InuYasha smiled. "We have plenty of room."
Both children's faces brightened with smiles.
"Yay! Papa!" Hanna exclaimed, hugging Inu's neck.
InuYasha smiled. "Thank Sango too."
"Yes, sir!" Carefully, Hanna stood up with her sprained ankle. She held her balance easily as she stepped off the porch and into the village in search for Sango.
InuYasha blinked when Shippo jumped into his lap. "InuYasha… thank you…."
"No problem, Shippo. There's one condition…"
Shippo blinked. "What?"
The kitsune fox followed the dog hanyou's eyes to Hanna's retreating form. "Grow strong to be a demon slayer so you can protect her."
Shippo blinked and blushed at Hanna's retreating form. He nodded silently and hopped off the landing, running after Hanna.
Kagome stomped in pace as she fumed. 'What is this!?! I've been looking all over the place for months, and this is what I get!?!'
The young miko paused as she growled mentally, remembering their encounter.
"InuYasha, can we-"
"Do what you want…"
Kagome bit her thumbnail. 'How could he just act like I don't exist? That I'm just some unwanted pest!? Only Kirara came to me, and that was just a rub against the leg and back in Sango's lap she went.'
Kagome sighed as she walked through the small hut that was InuYasha and Sango's home together. Her stomach turned to see the three different placing around the kettle.
'Sango and InuYasha are married now…. They even have a child.' A thought hit her suddenly, making her gasp. 'If they're married, then Sango could become pregnant at anytime! She could end up having his pup!!'
Koga's face appeared in her mind, and Kagome looked down to the floor ashamed. 'Why does this bother me so much? I have Koga. I'm happy with him…. Maybe it's because it's because InuYasha was my first crush….'
She sighed in defeat. 'I'm being such a brat. I even snapped at Koga when he was only telling the truth…. Maybe we should just leave and let them live their own lives.'
She walked on to the landing. When she heard Shippo's voice, she paused behind the screen.
"InuYasha…. InuYasha, I want to stay her with you, Sango, Kirara, and Hanna!!!!" she heard Shippo exclaim.
She paled and listened on, cupping her hand around her ear.
"Things haven't been the same since you and Sango left! Miroku is impatient; Koga's a jerk; and Kagome's is always either sad or angry!! Sometimes, I think Kagome was just angry she couldn't find so she could sit you!!!"
'No! Not you too, Shippo!' Kagome thought in shock.
Her anger returned when she heard InuYasha agree. "We have plenty of room."
She couldn't see straight as she heard Shippo scamper off. As soon as he was gone, she growled and slammed open the screen door.
InuYasha sighed as he smiled. Abruptly, he sensed blood lust behind him and heard the door behind him slam open.
"InuYasha, SIT BOY!!!!"
InuYasha flinched reflexively but blinked when nothing happened. He sat up and pat over his unharmed body in slight surprise. Realization hit him when he remembered Kaede's wedding gift and smirked. 'Thank you, Kaede.'
"SIT!!!" Kagome screeched with her eyes squeezed shut. "Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit!"
InuYasha sighed and buried his hands in his sleeves, watching Kagome calmly. Not noticing that he wasn't plummeting to the earth and making a body-shaped crater, Kagome continued to rant on with unsuccessful 'sits.'
InuYasha sweat dropped slightly. 'Is she always beet-faced when she does this?' he wondered, looking at her angry face.
"Are you done yet?" he finally asked in annoyance. "This is really getting ridiculous!"
Kagome blinked at his unwavering voice and opened wide eyes to see that Inu was in no way harmed from her attack. At his smirk, she zeroed in around his neck to see that the subjugation beads were missing.
"Wh… Wh…"
"Kaede's wedding present," InuYasha smirked. "I'm not your pet anymore."