Inuko's Kind Heart
Chapter 4: Part 1
That night, mother didn't say any words to me, she didn't even look at me. I wanted to say something, but I kept quiet. Kikyko had slept the entire night, she was finally warm again and her color was normal. I couldn't sleep, I had stayed up all night, so did father.
I slide over to father and leaned against the wall next to him. Mother had curled up next to Kikyko to keep her warm.
"Dad?" I said. He shifted his eyes towards me.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen to Kikyko… we were playing and the ball flew…" I started to explain, when dad wrapped his arm around me and pulled me to his side.
"I know how it happened, I'm glad your both okay… you scared us," he told me. I ran my arm over my eyes. I was crying. I usually never let things bother me, and father always says men never show their tears, but I was crying. I didn't know why.
"Mom… won't talk to me," I whispered to him.
"She will," father said, "she was terrified you two disappeared, she was scared. Especially when she found you both," father added.
"I was scared, I thought…." Father said. His eyes looked at Kikyko as she shifted under the sheets.
"Dad, mom won't talk to me…" I told him again.
"She will, why don't you make her something nice tomorrow…" he told me. I thought about maybe getting mother flowers, she loved flowers. That could work.
Kikyko shifted again and coughed.
"You should sleep Inuko, don't worry about your mother, she doesn't hate you!" Father told me again. I looked up at him, and crawled towards mother and Kikyko.
I slide next to Kikyko and pulled the blanket over her.
"Good night son," father whispered to me.
I nodded and closed my eyes.
The sun had shone through the house; I pulled the sheets over me. I felt someone's arms pull me against their body. I rolled over. Mother had pulled me to her body to keep me warm. I looked at her, she was asleep.
"Mom?" I half whispered to her.
"Inuko, stop talking… sleep," she mumbled. Was she still mad at me?
I turned my head to check on Kikyko, but she wasn't there. I heard her laughing outside and giggling.
"Mom?" I said again. She wrapped her arms around me tighter and pressed her head against mine. I blushed.
"Uhh… mom?" I said again.
"Inuko…. Shut up already!" She mumbled again.
I tried not to shift, but I felt embarrassed she was cuddling me.
"INUKO, MOMMY WAKE UP WAKE UP," Kikyko's voice echoed through the house. I was relieved she actually came in, I was feeling uncomfortable.
"Mmm, Kiki…" Mother said. She rolled on her back and stretched her arms.
"Mommy" Kikyko shouted again. She held a yellow sunflower in her hand.
Mother sat up and looked over at me then at Kikyko. She scooped her up in her arms and pulled me to her side.
"I'm so glad you both are okay," she said to us. Kikyko wrapped her arms around mother's neck and giggled. I looked up at her and took in a sigh of relief. I was glad, she wasn't mad at me.
"Mommy I got you a flower," Kikyko said to her. Mother let go of me and took the flower in her hand.
"It's so lovely Kikyko thank you," she replied.
Kikyko nuzzled her face against mothers "Mmmm, ahhaha," Kikyko giggled. Mom did the same and hugged Kikyko. I slide away from them, and went out the back door.
"Dad?" I said with a half turn I looked back in to the house then turned around and looked at father.
"Yes?" He said, he held an axe to the air and chopped some fire wood.
"Mom's in one of her moods again," I said to him.
"Ah, you two made up I see…" father replied.
I looked at father and ran a hand through my hair.
"Can I help?" I asked.
Father looked at me, and pulled the axe from the stump.
"I don't see why not, your old enough to learn…" father said to me.
"Here," he said handing me the axe's handle.
"Wwwwoooahhh… this is heavy," I said, as the axe fell to the ground.
"Lift it up," father said. He had his hands on his sides, and looked at me. Man he could offer to help.
"I can barely lift it," I argued.
"You wanted to cut the wood, then build your strength, lift it up." He said again.
"Aaaaaahhhhhh," I shouted bending my knees. I lifted the handle in to the air.
"Wooah wooah, wooahhhh," I stuttered. The axe tipped back over my head and I lost my balance. Father pulled the handle forward.
"Try it again," he said letting the axe hit the ground again.
"Come on how am I supposed to carry this thing," I said again trying to lift it off the ground.
"Inuko, you're not using your head, you need to learn to build up your strength, you're a half demon… not a weakling," father said to me. He bent down and lifted the axe's handle.
"Wwwoaaah," I stuttered as he lifted me and the axe.
"Now do it again," father said placing a piece of wood on the stump.
I held the axe in to the air and awkwardly but forcefully hit the piece of the wood.
"YEAHHHH…" I shouted.
"YAY!" Kikyko's voice shouted. I looked over at her.
"Wow Inuko you're so strong," she shouted running at me.
"I'm not that strong," I said to her. She giggled and looked at the two pieces of the wood.
"Wow you broke the wood," she said.
"Yeah, yeah I did…" I smiled and looked at the pieces.
"Yeah Inuko did this all by himself, he's pretty cool huh Kiki?" Father said he bent down near her.
"So cool…" she giggled. Father placed a hand to her head.
"Wow Inuko, you did a good job," Mother said also looking at the wood I just chopped.
"He heheh, I did didn't I," I replied crossing my arms.
Father stood up next to mother and kissed her on the cheek. Eck! I hated when they did that.
"Inuko why don't you help me today," Father said. I looked at him.
"Uhhh… how?" I asked still a little grossed out.
"Well fishing, we need to get food, and I have to help Miroku today. He's building a shed next to the house," father said pulling his sleeves down.
I lifted an eyebrow to him and thought for a minute.
"Wow, big brother is going to do all that papa, you are so strong Inuko!" Kikyko shouted she looked to father then to me. I looked at her and smiled. To her I was so cool. I'd accept that, it was nice to know my sister thinks I'm at the same level in strength like my father.
Come to think of it, Kikyko things everything is cool.
"Okay," I said.
I think for the first time, my father and I were bonding. We actually talked that morning, he told me about the Shikon no Tama, Naraku. He told me many stories; he told me of a well, that mother used to travel in. We talked about a lot of things. I was surprised and curious at the same time.
"WOOOAAAHH, that's a huge fish!" I shouted as father pulled a large fish out of the river. He tossed the flailing fish to the ground.
"Now it's your turn," father said to me, he handed me the rod.
"Really, uhh… what do I do?" He sat down on the grass and pulled me to his lap.
"Hold it very still in the water, the fish will come to the bait," father said helping me with the rod.
"Like this," I said as I held the rod still.
"Yeah," father said pulling his hands away from the rod.
I let the lure bob in the water.
"Dad?" I said.
"Yeah son?" he looked at my line in the water.
"Can we pick some flowers for mom to take home later?" I asked.
"Sure," was all father said.
We sat in silence for a while. I wanted to ask him about everything we talked about this morning, I was curious, I wanted to learn more about the Shikon no tama, about mom's world and the well.
"Inuko… listen son," father said breaking the silence.
"What I told you this morning, about everything…. Forget it, I don't want Kikyko to know anything about it," he said to me.
"How come?" I asked rolling my eyes up to him.
"She doesn't need to know, I know you tell her things all the time, she doesn't need to know… okay?" Father said to me again.
I nodded and didn't reply.
"Hey… hey I think I got something," I pulled at the line.
"That`s it hold it hold it tight" father said holding his hands ontop of mine.
I pulled a the line and pulled the fish out of the water.
"WOOOOAAAHHH," I shouted excited. It wasn't big but it was a fish. I was excited I actually got one. I jumped from my dad's lap and grabbed the fish.
"LOOK, LOOK AT IT…" I said smiling.
"That's great Inuko," father said, and shifted to his feet.
"Let's take this food home," he said to me picking up the fish he caught and the basket of fruits and vegetables we had gathered.
"Wait I want to get some flowers," I reminded him. I handed him the fish and searched the field for some flowers.
"There, I got some," I ran back to father and brushed off the flowers.
"Let's go," He said pulling the basket to his back.
As we approached the house I heard Kikyko's voice.
"Awe but mom," she said loudly.
"No but's Kiki," mother's voice replied.
"I never get to do anything fun," Kikyko argued.
"You're not old enough," was all mother's reply to her.
"Hey what's going on?" father asked entering the house. I followed behind him and held the flowers behind my back. Father set the fish and the basket down. Some of the fruits rolled on the floor. Normally Kikyko would chase them, pick them up, and count them. She only watched as they rolled on the floor, then turned her gaze to mother.
"I wanna go play outside," Kikyko said to her again.
"And I said no," mother replied folding a bed sheet.
"But why," Kikyko whined. I felt the tension at that moment, mother was going to snap. I took a step back.
"I'm going to say this one last time Kikyko, your too young to go outside by yourself and play in the village," mother warned her.
"I don't have to listen to you," Kikyko replied crossing her arms. I looked at her surprised, now she did it. Mother's going to be really really mad.
"No, but you do have to listen to me," father said, he crossed his arms as well.
"It's not fair; Inuko can do things I can't… I wanna go play in the village," I really really wanted to step in and say something, but I didn't want mother any angrier. It's bad enough I almost lost Kikyko in the river last night, I didn't want to make it worse.
"I don't need to explain my reason Kikyko, stop enough whining," mother warned her again.
"MMm… mmm…" Kikyko mumbled. She looked like she was going to cry.
"I hate you momma," she shouted and ran out the back door.
Mother sighed deeply and returned to her folding. I looked at Kikyko crying near the water well.
"Leave her be Inuko," father said to me. He noticed I was worried about her. He picked up the fish, and vegetables.
"But… dad she's crying," I said.
"Let her be Inuko, she'll come inside when she's ready," father said again. He sorted out the vegetables in to a pot.