Chapter 5 Hopscotch
A/N: If you were hoping for epic battle scenes, this is not the story for you. I'm only mentioning the actual story plot in passing, in the background.
Summer in Japan had decided to hit with a fierce vengeance. Monsoon season had begun.
They had been ambushed by Kagura and one of Naraku's puppets. Kagome had shouted out a series of Shogi moves from her viewpoint behind her shield, protecting the young ones. Sesshoumaru had quickly realized the information she meant to convey, adjusted his attack accordingly, and they had won. Sort of. While they had destroyed the puppet, Kagura had escaped along with the shard both groups were tracking. Though not before taking fairly serious damage. The expanded inutachi had tried to track the wind demoness, but then weather changed, possibly with her assistance. Regardless, the wind speed increased and then the rain started. It was evident that sight and smell were going to be useless in moments. It was imperative, especially for the humans in the group, to find shelter – fast.
"Jaken, shelter is required for Rin…and the others", rumbled Sesshoumaru. Even his deep voice having difficulty being heard above the rising shriek of the wind and the beginning of the rains. "If she falls sick, you shall be held responsible".
"Yes, my lord. Immediately!", squawked the smaller yokai. "There is a cave system about 4 ri to the east. It is large enough for all of us, including Ah-Un.
"Take Rin there. Get a fire started. Prepare for an extended stay. The storm will be a long one"
Jaken scrambled to obey, taking Ah-Un laden with belongings as well as Rin and Shippo.
"Come. There is shelter this way," the demon lord ordered. Without waiting for a response, he began to walk in the direction Jaken had disappeared. As he passed Kagome, her feet slipped in the wet mud and grass, and she tumbled to the ground.
"Oi, clumsy as always. I guess I'll need to carry you," teased Inuyasha.
Sesshoumaru didn't even pause his stride, merely plucking the girl out of the mud while ignoring her squeak of surprise, and set her before him on his cloud. "No need, whelp. I shall carry the miko. See to yourself. Slayer, speed I more important than endurance." Kagome began to sputter, irritated by the high-handed actions without even asking her. Sesshoumaru ignored her protests. He did angle her so that the rain would wash the mud off, heedless of how it pelted her face and body.
Understanding his point immediately, Sango spoke quietly to Kirara. Immediately the nekoyokai transformed into her larger form. Sango gestured to Miraku, who scrambled up behind her on Kirara's back. Quicker now that the slower moving members of the group were being carried by the swifter ones, they made good time to the opening of the cave system Jaken had occupied.
The cave system was quite roomy. A large cavern with a handful of smaller chambers branching off of it guaranteed plenty of space. Fires in the main room and two of the smaller ones permitted changing into dry garments and a place to dry the wet ones. In short order the space was made cozy, water for tea was boiling, and a meal was cooking over the fire. Also in short order, the usual petty bickering and teasing between various personalities started up. Shippou started teasing Inuyasha, who in turn called the young kitsune names and attempted to hit him. Rin began skipping around and around Jaken while singing nonsense songs about the small yokai. Miraku used the opportunity to slyly grope Sango, who roundly slapped him in the cave wall. Kirara and Ah-Un retreated to one of the side rooms, ignoring the noisy antics in solidarity. Which left Kagome and Sesshoumaru, both with the beginnings of headaches, standing by the fire wondering if the monsoon outside might be the better choice of location.
"Rin, cease this behaviour immediately,"
"Shippou! Enough noise. Knock it off! NOW!
They each remonstrated their charges, in unison.
"Inuyasha! Sit, boy!"
Just like that, there was silence, except for the crackling of the fire and the bubbling in the pot.
Kagome took a deep breath. She then went to kneel next to the youngest members of their group. "Shippou, Rin, I know you are a little bored and have a lot of energy, but you need to have more consideration for the rest of us. The noise and jumping around that's fine outside are too much for inside the caves. Every noise echoes against the walls. Honestly, it was so loud, I was starting to get a headache. How about if I find you some indoor games to play?"
"But Mama, we've already done the puzzles a bunch. And coloring. We want to do something else. Something that isn't just sitting."
Kagome thought for a moment. For the last few evenings, the kids had been either coloring or playing one of the games they'd learned or putting the puzzles together. They probably were a bit bored of the same things over and over again. Unlike the more advanced game of Shogi that she and Sesshoumaru had played at the same time each evening, there wasn't as much fun in replaying the simpler stuff. Plus, it was still early in the day, they probably still had a lot of energy to burn off.
"Okay, I'll find you something new to do. Give me a minute to look through my bag."
She went to where Ah-Un's saddle bags lay, and burrowed into her bag of games and toys. She pulled out a box of colored chalk.
"Each of you go find a rock or something that you can toss a short distance comfortably. Bigger than the pebbles you used for Tic-Tac-Toe."
The kids ran to do as she instructed. Surprisingly, so did Inuyasha, who was mostly recovered from having been 'sat'. Sango was watching with interest. Jaken, freed from being teased and torments, turned his attention to the dinner preparations over the fire.
Kagome proceeded to draw on the floor of the cave, having found a level spot where a side chamber connected to the main one. It took only a few minutes to rough an outline for Hopscotch and write the symbols for counting the spaces. She then spotted a smooth stone that fit in the palm of her hand, black with sparkly lines in it. That would be Kagome's marker.
She placed it in the first square and waited until anyone else who was interested placed their stones to join hers in the first square. She then explained how to play while demonstrating the hopping and picking up motions. After that, the game started. She had each of them say the numbers aloud as they hopped. After the first run through, Kagome dropped out, but Sango stepped in to play in her place. Other than counting, an occasional low-voiced dispute about who had or had not touched a line, and the sound of feet meeting the floor while hopping, it was mercifully quieter in the cavern.
"Miko, what purpose does this game hold, other than to occupy our wards in quieter play?" inquired Sesshoumaru.
"Isn't that enough?" Kagome replied with a little laugh. "No, huh? Well, it helps them practice their numbers."
Sango, overhearing their discussion, chimed in while Inuyasha took his turn, "This hopping game helps with balance and coordination between eye and hand movement."
"Hnn," acknowledged Sesshoumaru. "Also reflexes."
"It also teaches them patience and taking turns. Something all of us need to work on sometimes," Kagome finished. "But most importantly, it's fun."
"This Sesshoumaru is curious. Once the kit and child have tired of hopping, what shall you have them play next? And what of the next few days? This monsoon is unlikely to stop soon"
"Don't worry, Sesshoumaru. I've got a game that should keep them occupied until bedtime. Hopefully the hopping will have worn them out enough that they will be ready to sleep early. As for the future? Well, I hope my game supplies and imagination hold out as long as the storm does."
Sesshoumaru hoped so as well. Truly the miko seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of entertainments. All seemed to be devised to amuse while teaching pups important skills. Not just ones of thought and cunning, but as today's game had demonstrated, skills important to train the body for battle or the hunt. The thought struck him – what other skills did the future know that were unknown now? By her own admission, the miko was considered not yet at the age of majority, though a human of her years now certainly would be. Were all of her skillsets aimed at training youth, or was there more advanced knowledge sets that Kagome was training to prepare her for adulthood? She was female, obviously. Wife and mother would be her only destiny here, usually. Of course, she was also a priestess with holy power. What did her home village need her to do to have her educated so thoroughly?