Chapter 9 Otedama (Jacks, knucklebones)
The rain let up the next day. The hunt for the jewel shards resumed. As the heat of true summer beat down on combined forces, they doggedly tracked down several more shards.
As the weeks slipped by, Kagome continued the practice of Family Game Night. Over time, the collection of games grew. Some were left with Kaede for playing again, some were played once then returned to the Higurashi Shrine in the modern era. Others were carefully hoarded, mostly by Rin, and stored in Ah-Un's packs.
Kagome and Sesshoumaru also continued to play Shogi or Go whenever possible. Kagome found herself seeking out the tall demon lord at other times, as well. He was an amazingly good sounding board for organizing her thoughts. His questions often caught her off guard and really made her think about her answers. Sesshoumaru found her descriptions of a world where there wasn't a day-to-day struggle to find, raise, or gather food so that leisure time was available for most inhabitants odd but intriguing. Without a need to fight, what other things could be done with that time? Their conversations were a welcome reprieve from the chaos of battle, the clash of wills with Inuyasha, and the need to supervise and entertain the younger members of their group. Their discussion topics were far ranging, as likely to contain philosophical queries as they were to pertain to the issues at hand. With him, she felt in many ways more like an equal. Certainly, he did not make her feel like a burden nor like a convenient tool.
She decided not to examine the reasons behind either his attention or her response to it too closely. There wasn't any urgency and, really, there wasn't an appropriate time.
Until, at last, there were no more shards to find. All of them were either in their hands or Naraku's. The time for the final confrontation drew close.
Kagome sat; legs crossed sewing a bunch of small bags made of the same silk as Sesshoumaru's clothing. She'd asked Jaken for scraps of the material, figuring that the little imp retainer would have the best chance of locating some for her. Surprisingly, he had not only located some for her, but assisted in assembling the other components she needed. Once the bags were assembled, she filled them with adzuki beans, then sewed the little silk bags, closed. Once they were finished, she called Rin and Shippou to her.
"I have a little present for you both," Kagome said. "It's a type of game. You can play it together or by yourself. I made a set for each of you. These are bags are called ojami. The game is Otedama." She further explained that there were two versions of the game. One involved juggling the bean bags. The other was more like a game of jacks. She gave the kit and the child their own set, then sat back to watch them play.
Sesshoumaru moved close to the miko, also observing the two younger group members enjoying their new toys.
"Tomorrow is likely to be it," Kagome stated solemnly.
"Hnn."
"You do realize how annoying that is, right? It doesn't even mean anything."
Sesshoumaru smirked a bit before replying, "Hnn".
"Okay, now you're just doing that on purpose. I didn't even know you knew how to tease."
"There are still many things you do not know about this one, Kagome."
"Well, I hope I get the chance to find them out," she said, with a little smile. Then her expression became more serious. "I'm still not sure what's going to happen when I make that wish. If I…," she gulped before continuing, "If I don't stay, if I get sent home permanently, you said you'd come and find me."
"Yes, Kagome, I remember. I gave you my word. I will be there."
That deep voiced promise settled reassuringly to nestle in her heart. Kagome took a deep breath. "Okay, then whatever tomorrow brings, I'm ready for it."
"Hnn"
A/N I hope you all aren't too disappointed that I didn't go into detail about the confrontation with Naraku. This isn't that kind of story. Besides, no one enjoys the type of games Naraku tries to play. This story is about family and the positive types of games.
