The Storm
By: AniuLonewolf
Chapter 16 – Meeting the Family
Kagome and Inuyasha walked back in the house to see Sango and Miroku awake and sitting on the couch talking about something. When the half demon and priestess entered the living room, little Shippo bounced out of nowhere and jumped into Kagome's arms.
"How's everyone doing?" Kagome asked as she smiled over at Sango who was sitting beside Miroku on the couch. "My family just got home, are you ready to meet them?"
"Of course." Miroku answered as he helped Sango off the couch and walked up to the other couple.
With that said, the door opened to Mrs. Higurashi holding a bunch of grocery bags. "We're home." She called as she entered the house.
Kagome set Shippo down on the table as they walked into the kitchen to greet her family. "Hi Mom," She called as she helped her mom through the door. "Hey Sota, Grandpa."
"Hi dear. I'm so glad to see you're home and safe." Mrs. Higurashi welcomed her daughter as she walked through the front door. "Are your other friends ok?" She asked as she hung up her coat and followed her daughter into the kitchen.
While his mom was talking with his big sister, Sota set Buyo on the floor so he could put his coat and shoes away. The fat cat walked into the dining room to go get some food from his food bowl. The fat cat didn't have anything else on his mind but food and didn't notice the other people in the room. But what made him stop in his track was when he saw another cat eating out of his food bowl. When he saw that the other cat was yellow, had red eyes and had two tails, the fat feline hightailed it out of the room and back to Sota.
"Whoa Buyo. I never thought you could run that fast." Sota laughed as she watched the fat cat run into the entrance room. He picked up the chubby feline and cuddled the frightening Buyo in his arms. "What's got you so spooked?"
Kagome led her family into the kitchen where her friends were waiting at the table. "Mom, Sota, Grandpa; these are my friends from the Feudal Era. This is Shippo the fox demon, Sango the demon slayer, Miroku the monk and Kilala who is Sango's cat demon companion." She introduced everyone. "And you already know Inuyasha." She smiled and then turned to her friends, "Guys, this is my family; my Mom, little brother Sota and Grandpa."
Mrs. Higurashi was the first to speak. "Welcome to our home everyone. Anyone who is a friend to Kagome is like family to us." She said happily as she looked at each of the members of the group at the table. "But I just have one question; how did you get to our time? I thought Inuyasha was the only one who could pass through."
Kagome turned to her family "We used the jewel to keep the Bone Eater's Well open and so that our friends could pass back and forth through our times." She explained.
"That's wonderful. I hope you have a wonderful time here. It's probably been quite a shock to see our time and all the things that are different. Stay as long as you like – this is your home too now." Mrs. Higurashi samiled and then excused herself to put away the groceries so that they wouldn't spoil.
While his mother left the kitchen, Sota walked into the kitchen and put Buyo down on the floor and turned to Shippo. "Do you like video games?" He asked the fox demon.
"Uh?" The fox demon questioned, tilting his head in confusion as he looked at Kagome' little brother.
"I didn't get a chance to explain everything to them so Shippo doesn't know what that is." Kagome walked up to her brother. She turned to Shippo with a soft smile on her face. "My brother likes to play games on the TV. Do you want to go with Sota so he can show you?"
The fox demon didn't say anything at first but then nodded and jumped off the table to follow Kagome's brother into the living room to play.
When Shippo and Sota were gone, Kagome's grandfather took his place at the table with the newspaper in hand. "So how did the battle turn out?" He asked as he opened the newspaper to the front page.
"It was tough but we won." Inuyasha announced from where he leaned against the wall in the dining room since all of the chairs were taken up. "Naraku's gone for good now."
"We got beat up pretty good though." Miroku said from where he sat at the table as he played with the rosary around his right hand. Even though the Wind Tunnel was gone, he still kept the purple glove and beads around his hand out of habit and of peace of mind.
"Well I'm sure the extra first aid kit came in handy." Mrs. Higurashi smiled from where she was stocking the refrigerator.
"Yup." Kagome nodded. She smiled as she looked around the room where her family was with her. Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kilala had been like her new family on the other side of the well and now thanks to the Shikon Jewel granting her wish she could have everyone together at the same time.
Mrs Higurashi smiled at everyone from where she was at the counter. "Well I'm sure everyone is plently hungry. How about I start some dinner?" But just as she was finished asking, Sota and Shippo who were suddenly the best of friends bounded into the kitchen asking for food.
"Sure, we can help out." Kagome smiled, looking over at Sango. "Would you like to help me and my mom with dinner?" She asked and smiled when the demon slayer nodded eagerly.
With dinner on its way, everyone branched out around the house doing their own thing until the food was ready. Miroku and Grandpa instantly connected and Grandpa was showing him around the shrine while talking about charms and other things while Inuyasha made himself comfortable on the couch in the living room watching Sota and Shippo play video games. The girls were busy in the kitchen making supper while Kilala sat on the floor playing with one of Buyo's cat toys.
After showing Sango around the kitchen, they set up the demon slayer with chopping vegetables while Kagome and her mother boiled the noodles and chopped the meat. As Mrs. Higurashi stirred the noodles, she turned to her daughter. "So have you and Inuyasha talked about the wedding since you were here?"
Even though she knew the subject was going to be coming up sooner or later and knew that it would be coming up a lot in the next little while but Kagome couldn't help but blush. She was still getting used to everything that happened less than a week and a half ago when she and Inuyasha had confessed their feeling for one another. "Umm.. no we haven't been able to think about it with the final battle with Naraku."
"Oh that's alright – we will have plenty of time to plan for the wedding." Her mother smiled as she stirred the noodles.
"Weddings." Kagome corrected as she looked over at the demon slayer who slowed in chopping the vegetables.. "We'll have two weddings to plan for; Sango and Miroku are getting married too."
"Oh how wonderful! Congratulations Sweety." Kagome's mother beamed as she turned to hug Sango who was blushing furiously.
"T-Thank you." Sango smiled and hugged Kagome's mother back and then turned back to cut up the rest of the vegetables.
Kagome's mother nodded, getting back to the noodles. "Oh this is all so exciting! We'll have so much fun planning the weddings." She clapped her hands like a school girl. "One more thing Kagome, are there any grandchildren on the way yet?"
Kagome dropped the spoon she was holding and instantly felt her face turn as red as a firetruck. "MOM!" She yelled in embarrassment.
o-o-o-o
"MOM!" Was heard all the way into the living room where Sota, Shippo and Inuyasha were playing video games.
Sota and Shippo were too busy playing video games that they didn't heard Kagome's outcry. But with Inuyasha's keen demon hearing he heard Mrs. Higurashi's question as well as Kagome's shriek. When he heard Mrs. Higurashi's question, he felt his own face heat up with blush but he couldn't help but laugh when he heard Kagome's answer.
o-o-o-o
About half an hour later everyone gathered around the now-extended table in the dining room for supper. There was a big bowl of udon noodles and soup as well as a salad on the side. Everyone ate happily as the group from the Feudal Era told the Higurashi family a little about themselves.
Shippo and Sota had instantly bonded as best buds and were sitting beside each other while Kagome's little brother told the fox demon about other video games they could play after supper. Grandpa was sitting on the other side of Sota and was deep in conversation with Miroku about the different types of charms and sutras that the monk used. Sango was sitting on the other side of Miroku and talking with Kagome's mother about different types of soups they could try and make while Kagome and Inuyasha sat on the other side of Mrs. Higurashi talking quietly. Even Buyo and Kilala had become friends, eating their cat food together on the floor and getting food scraps from those sitting at the table.
"So Kagome, what are you going to do about school?" Grandpa asked as he dabbed his mouth with his napkin.
Inuyasha stopped eating and turned to the girl sitting beside him as well as everyone else stopped to look at Kagome.
"Umm well I was thinking that maybe I should try and finish off the year. I mean, there's only about half a month left of the semester so maybe I can try and catch up." Kagome said as she looked down at her bowl.
"I think that's a wonderful idea dear." Kagome's mother smiled down at her daughter. "When are you thinking of having the wedding?" She questioned.
Kagome was stumped on the answer that everyone wanted to know. She tried to run dates through her head; the first time her and Inuyasha met – no that was on the same day as her birthday and that was pretty much half a year from now. She wracked her brain but couldn't come up with a date that stood out in her mind.
The pause in question to answer had turned into a long silence as Kagome couldn't think of a date. "Well let's think this through," Kagome's mother spoke up. "If you want to continue with school then your graduation would be at the end of this month – which gives you about two weeks of school left. And I'm sure that while you're going to school, you won't have any time to plan for the wedding. So if we dedicate the month after to planning the wedding, then you can get married after that."
Kagome looked at the calendar on the wall. The school semester ran until the end of March, with graduation at the end. Giving one month to plan the wedding would bring them into May. "Sounds alright with me." She said and turned to Inuyasha who just shrugged, saying he didn't have a certain date in mind.
With the new big family settled on helping Kagome reach the end of March and graduation from school, the finished up their supper and everyone helped clean the dishes. Once the dishes were done, everyone went off to doing their own thing again like before supper; Sota and Shippo running right back to the TV to play a different game and Miroku and Sango offering to help close the shrine with Grandpa.
Mrs. Higurashi went to make a few phone calls, wanting to get a head's start on the invitations for the wedding which left Kagome and Inuyasha in Kagome's room changing Inuyasha's bandages from the battle.
Inuyasha sat on the floor with his haori and undershirt off so Kagome could change the bandages that were covering the gashes on his chest.
"You're very quiet." Kagome spoke up as she rubbed the herbal mixture that Keade had given her on his back. "Is everything ok?"
Inuyasha looked over his shoulder at the girl sitting next to him. "I'm just thinking about everything really." He said in a sigh.
"Careful now, don't want to overwork your brain." Kagome giggled but then she saw that he had a very serious – almost sad look on his face and stopped laughing and leaned closer to him. "What's wrong?
"It's nothing. Just thinking about how things are going to change." The half demon said, bowing his head so his bangs were covering his eyes. "People in my time are going to look at you differently because you are with me. Well, you've already had it a couple times but it's going to get worse."
"I don't understand what you're saying." Kagome said, completely forgetting about the herbal mixture.
"My mother was hated by the humans she lived with. They knew that she loved a demon and because of that, she had me; a half demon who belonged nowhere." Inuyasha said. "And I've seen it a couple times already over the years you've traveled with me. I've heard what they've said."
Kagome suddenly knew where his thoughts were. He was thinking about his mother and how she was hated by humans for being with a demon and now he was thinking that the same was going to happen to her for being with him. "Inuyasha I don't care what other people say about me. I know it's been a horrible time for you having to feel like you don't belong anywhere but you don't have to feel like that anymore. You don't have to change for me; I love you as a half demon."
Inuyasha took a moment to gaze into Kagome's brown eyes and a small smile broke out on his lips. "Thanks Kagome." He whispered, leaning his head down so that their foreheads were touching.
Kagome knew from the way he sighed again that the thoughts bothering him were not going to be going away after just one conversation but she promised herself that she would work to make Inuyasha smile more each day and to put his worries to rest.
As Kagome finished changing Inuyasha's bandages, the half demon tried to suppress a yawn but failed. Kagome smiled down at the half demon and suggested that they head off to bed for the night. They went downstairs and made sure that Sango and Miroku were comfortable in the guest bedroom while Shippo bunked in Sota's room.
After everyone said goodnight to one another, Kagome and Inuyasha went back up to Kagome's room and got ready for bed. Kagome went to the bathroom to get changed in her pajamas while the half demon went and got comfortable in the bed.
When Kagome got back to her room she saw that Inuyasha was already in bed with his eyes closed. Quietly walking over to the bed, she climbed under the covers but couldn't help but squeak when she almost fell off the edge of the bed. Kagome's squeak made Inuyasha opened his eyes and looked at the girl with a questioning look.
"I guess my bed is kind of small huh?" Kagome laughed as she tried to get back under the covers. The raven haired girl gave another squeak as she felt Inuyasha's arms wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to him very suddenly.
"I like this bed," Inuyasha mumbled as he held Kagome close to him. "It smells like you."
"Umm… I'm going to take that as a compliment." Kagome laughed.
"Well good – because it was." The half demon growled playfully as he gave Kagome a kiss on the forehead. After getting comfortable under the covers, a silence fell over the room as sleep caught up with the two and fell into a dream for the night.
Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
The Storm by AniuLonewolf