Chapter 4: A Warm Bath
They returned home from Jinenji's exhausted and in want of a warm fire. Sesshoumaru resumed his position sitting in the corner of Rin's hut while the rest of his family warmed themselves huddled together around the flames.
Rin then asked, "How are you feeling, Towa?"
"Better! Thank you for helping me try to recreate those dishes. I had so much fun with everyone!" Her smile warmed Sesshoumaru's heart, and he felt the past two days had been well worth any hassle indeed.
"I'm so glad, sweetheart. I know this adjustment has been tough for you, so if you're ever feeling down again, just tell me, and I'll do my best to help you."
"Thank you, Mother," Towa answered, giving her a hug. Sesshoumaru was surprised to find a curl of envy sprouting in his heart.
Would his daughter ever be able to hug him so spontaneously and affectionately?
Towa stretched then and yawned, even as another shiver wracked her body. "The only other thing I would kill for now is a proper, warm bath."
Rin glanced over at Sesshoumaru. "Perhaps we could go find some hot springs tomorrow then."
Sesshoumaru huffed. Look at his mate already planning their next adventure when they were barely home from the last one.
"Are there any other foods from the future we need to make?" Setsuna asked, closing her eyes and leaning her head on her mother's shoulder.
"Nothing we could make here," Towa answered with a yawn, crawling over to the futon she shared with her sister and curling up under the blanket. "I'd love a good pizza, but there's absolutely no way we could make that here."
One by one, all of them fell asleep. All but Sesshoumaru.
But Towa's words had given him an idea.
Sesshoumaru stepped out of the hut and walked into the nearby forest. Rin's suggestion of going to the hot springs was a fair one, though Sesshoumaru noted that she was only treating the symptoms of a larger problem. They needed to treat the source of it.
His feet trod a familiar path to the Tree of Ages, where he had called as a visitor countless times over the past fourteen years. Even now, he was able to enter it without announcing himself. But instead of walking into the heart of the tree where his wife had once slept, his feet took him into the green-lit waterfall grove.
"I did not expect to see you again so soon," the spirit of the Tree of Ages announced, stepping out from behind one of the trees—or rather, one of her roots grown into a tree.
"I seek a portal to the other world," Sesshoumaru said. "Whether through here or the Bone Eater's Well."
"You know the Bone Eater's Well has been cut off from the flow of time for over two decades now."
"Save for one time, when it was needed most."
The Tree nodded. "In response to a wish."
"It is my wish to pass through."
"And why is your need so great that you must travel through time? What do you seek to do, Sesshoumaru? Rule it as once Kirinmaru tried to?"
"Towa is homesick."
"Ah, yes. As is Kagome, I imagine," the Tree replied, not seeming at all surprised by the fact that Sesshoumaru was here on the behalf of others. "Yet in all these years, I have not once responded to Kagome's desires to send her back. So why, Sesshoumaru, should I listen to you?"
"Did I not do as you asked? Did not my daughters and niece save the world as you wished?"
"You were paying the price for my help."
"They had no price to pay."
"True. But when they came back, Akuru used up the last of his power to bring them here. The god of time is dead."
Sesshoumaru huffed. "He is not dead. He lives on in his descendants."
"So you say. Yet you do not have the power to cross time."
"I have not tried."
The Tree laughed. "You are an arrogant one! So blessed with power, and yet you look for more? I had thought your desires sated when you married that mortal girl. But perhaps I was mistaken. A great demon will always want more. Perhaps your lust for power is only hibernating for as long as she lives."
Sesshoumaru glared. "You assured me her time had stopped."
"And so it has. But with the power of time, who knows what you could do? Perhaps you might inadvertently reverse what I have done for her?"
Sesshoumaru scowled. "I seek only a single day."
The Tree reached into the sleeve of her kimono and pulled out a toy pinwheel. It was charred, and even as she waved it through the air, the blades did not move. She held it out to Sesshoumaru.
"Go on then. Take it and see what power you hold."
Sesshoumaru took hold of the pinwheel, examining it. The frail thing seemed liable to crumble in his hands.
And yet it didn't.
Was this object not imbued with Akuru's essence? Had he not carried it religiously for eons, using it to open time portals as he pleased? If so, then it had likely developed a soul of its own—a tsukumogami.
Or rather, it had taken a part of Akuru's soul.
Akuru was not dead yet.
Sesshoumaru handed the pinwheel back to the Tree. "What a shame," she said. "Perhaps you are not as powerful as you th—"
But before she could finish her sentence, Sesshoumaru whipped out Tenseiga and sliced at the spiritual binds encircling the pinwheel. All at once, the pinwheel glowed, and rose from the Tree's hand. Like a flower blooming, a small bud grew from the center of the pinwheel, growing like a curled-up fetus until Akuru popped up, his childlike-eyes blinking wide in joy.
The Tree stared at the god of time in awe for a moment before smiling ruefully. "I suppose that even if you do not hold mastery over time, the ability to bring a god back from death is extraordinary in and of itself. Very well. One day. Your allowance begins at dawn."
That did not leave much time. Sesshoumaru went back to Rin's hut and roused his family.
"Wha-what's going on?" Towa asked around a yawn.
Setsuna blinked at him and then snuggled further into her blanket. Had she even awoken?
"Come," Sesshoumaru said.
"Why?" Towa grumbled, staring out the window. "Are we leaving already? It's not even morning yet."
"It will be too late when it is morning," Sesshoumaru answered.
"Do as your father says, dear. He always has a reason," Rin explained. She often felt the need to interpret for him to their girls. Hopefully, the more time they spent together like this, the more his daughters would come to understand him with Rin or Jaken needing to translate.
Jaken was the first up and at Sesshoumaru's side. "I am ready, milord!"
"You will stay here and watch the house," Sesshoumaru said. From what Towa had said of her world, demons who could not blend in as humans had no place there.
"As you wish, milord." For all the imp's penchant to grumbling, he always accepted his orders with grace.
They barely managed to rouse Setsuna, and she wobbled through the village as they walked, as if she were liable to drop any moment. Already, the sky lightened with the cornflower blue of predawn. But before they left the village, Sesshoumaru stopped in front of his brother's hut.
"Inuyasha," he said, not raising his voice. The grumble of low curses inside let him know his greeting was heard.
Inuyasha slipped out of the hut, picking at his ear. "What do you want so goddamn early?" he asked. "Is someone dying?"
"Wake your family and follow me," Sesshoumaru said before turning back towards the forest.
"That's it? You woke me up to tell me that? What for?"
Soft footfalls sounded from inside the house, and Kagome peeked her head out of the doorway, yawning. "Inuyasha, what's going on?"
"Sesshoumaru says we need to follow him."
Kagome blinked blearily, looking over the assembled girls. "Did he tell you what's going on?"
Rin shook her head. "No. But I trust he would not disturb our rest without reason."
"You sure about that?" Inuyasha groused. Even so, they woke Moroha up—who was somehow still sleeping through all that chatter—and followed Sesshoumaru to the Tree of Ages.
"Sesshoumaru, what are we doing here?" Kagome asked.
Sesshoumaru turned east, watching the horizon. Just as a sliver of sun broke over it, a portal shimmered to life behind him.
"Come," he said, stepping through.
Whenever Sesshoumaru had walked through the Tree before, he had always landed in a familiar, dark pathway, water lapping beneath his feet. This time, he stepped from grass and landed on salted cobblestone.
Salt?
A litany of smells assaulted him—snow, smoke, incense, metal, and more he couldn't name. Though dawn lightened the sky, the night already seemed to have fallen away as a million lights barraged his eyes. Spread out below him, buildings of crystal and stone climbed high into the sky, illuminated from within.
One by one, the others exited the Tree behind him. He knew the moment Kagome passed through.
She gasped. "Oh my god. Are we…home?"
Towa stepped forward, looking around as if she couldn't believe it. She gave a feeble tug on Sesshoumaru's sleeve and looked up at him, a wary hope in her eyes. "Father? What—?"
Just then, a shrill screech cut through the air, and Sesshoumaru glanced up, his hand already on his sword. Above them, a massive bird demon soared across the sky, leaving a plume of smoke in its wake that glowed bright white in the face of dawn. He leapt to go slay it when a sudden, harsh tug on his fur stopped him.
"No, Father, stop! It's just a plane!" Towa called out, hugging onto his fur as if her life depended on it. "It's like a flying wagon to carry people!"
Had humans harnessed magic now to create flying wagons?
The door to a nearby building opened and a woman with cropped hair poked her head out. "Hello, is someone there?" She froze as her eyes landed on the group. "Oh my goodness. Is…is that you, Kagome?"
"Mom!" Kagome cried out with tears in her eyes. She and her mother ran for each other across the slick cobblestones, meeting halfway in a whirlwind of hugs and kisses.
"I can't believe it's you, after all this time. Look at you! You haven't changed a bit."
"You look great yourself, Mom."
"Well, I'm getting grayer," she replied, touching a silvery forelock.
"Probably in no small part because of me," Towa announced, sidling up behind them.
"Towa!" the woman exclaimed, bringing her into the hug.
"Hey, don't forget me, Gammy," Moroha announced, pouncing forward.
When the girls had gotten their hugs in, Mrs. Higurashi looked up at Inuyasha and smiled. She walked over and gave him his own hug, causing him to stiffen. "It's good to see you, son. Thank you for taking care of my little girl."
Inuyasha blushed and glanced away. "Yeah, course I did." He still returned his mother-in-law's hug though.
Mrs. Higurashi noticed Setsuna over Inuyasha's shoulder. "Hello, sweetheart. How are you?" she asked, detaching from Inuyasha to make the rounds there as well. But then she came face to face with Sesshoumaru and Rin. "And who might these be?"
"Gammy, these are Setsuna's and my parents," Towa said, skipping over. "Father, Mother, this is my grandma."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Rin said, bowing. "I cannot thank you enough for taking care of our Towa all these years. If there's any way we can repay—"
"Oh!" Mrs. Higurashi suddenly announced. "I should go wake Grandpa. And call Souta and Moe. They'll want to come see you, of course. How long are you staying?"
Everyone looked towards Sesshoumaru. "We leave tomorrow at dawn," he answered.
"Oh, so soon?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, a note of disappointment in her voice that was reflected in the eyes of Kagome and Towa. But all three of them were quick to mask it behind a smile. "Well, then there's no time to waste. This is the perfect Christmas gift, so we'll make the most of what we have. Come in now—don't stand out here freezing in the cold," she said, herding everyone into the house.
"Wait, is today Christmas?" Kagome asked. Sesshoumaru had no idea what Christmas was, but it seemed to excite both his daughter and sister-in-law.
As soon as they were inside, Mrs. Higurashi ran upstairs, and Towa pulled Rin over to sit her down on what appeared to be a long, cushioned throne, not unlike the one Sesshoumaru's mother used. Kagome walked around the house in a daze, exclaiming over anything that was the same or different.
And then a fat cat tromped downstairs.
"Buyo!" Kagome cried out, hoisting the cat into her arms. "You're still alive!"
Buyo struggled in her arms, despite Kagome's attempt to kiss him, and she finally had to let him go. He circled her once, sniffing her ankles, rubbing himself against her, and then gave her a sour look before trotting away from her.
"Aww, don't be like that, Buyo. I would have come home sooner if I could," Kagome whined. But her mood didn't dampen as she raced upstairs, saying, "So Mom, what did you end up doing with my room?"
The group stood in the living room awkwardly, staring at each other. Finally, Towa leapt over to a giant cabinet that emitted frigid air when she opened it. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry, and I bet Gammy's going to want to feed everyone when Papa Souta and Mama Moe get here. I can at least get the rice started!"
His daughter moved around the kitchen with ease, picking up implements both familiar and foreign to him to cook the meal. Upstairs, he heard Kagome's reunion with her grandfather as well as her mother somehow speaking with Souta, though the man's voice was so quiet, even he had trouble detecting it.
Before long, everyone was back downstairs, Mrs. Higurashi and Kagome were helping with the meal, and Kagome's grandfather was sizing him up.
"Hmm, I see these looks run in the family," the old man said, looking between Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Towa. When Sesshoumaru didn't answer, the man added, "You don't say much, do you?"
Sesshoumaru did not deign that comment with a response.
Less than an hour after their arrival, three harried humans arrived huffing and puffing, looking as if they hadn't even combed their hair before leaving their home. Their arms were laden with bags and packages.
"Papa Souta! Mama Moe! Mei!" Towa exclaimed, leaping into their arms.
"Towa, you're back!" a little girl that was an exact replica of her mother cried, tears falling.
"I'm so glad you're safe," the mother—Moe, he made sure to remember—said, kissing Towa's head. "You look wonderful—like you're thriving over there."
The man—Souta—sniffed loudly. "What an amazing Christmas gift! We're so happy to have you back, honey."
"What about me?" Kagome announced, walking up with her hands on her hips.
"Big sis!" Souta laughed, coming forward and hugging her. "And Big bro!" he added, pulling Inuyasha into his arms. "Wow, last time I saw you, I barely hit your waist. It feels so weird to see you from up here."
"No worries—you'll always be the same little pipsqueak to me," Inuyasha said, pulling Souta into a tame version of a chokehold and giving him a noogie.
"Papa, Mama, come here. I want to introduce you to my parents," Towa said, pulling on their hands and bringing them over towards him and Rin.
Souta stared up at him with wide eyes, a look of awe in them. "Yeah, you're definitely Towa's father."
Rin stood up, bowing. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Souta, Ms. Moe. My name is Rin, and this is my husband, Lord Sesshoumaru. We cannot thank you enough for watching over our daughter all these years."
"Oh, no need to thank us—it was our pleasure!" Mei said, putting a hand on Rin's shoulder to make her rise.
"She's added nothing but joy to our lives," Souta added.
Sesshoumaru reached into his sleeve and pulled out ten koban—one for each year they had raised his daughter. He held the stack out wordlessly to Souta.
But the man just blinked at it, as if he wasn't sure what to do with it.
"Please take this as a token of our gratitude," Rin said, throwing Sesshoumaru an approving glance.
"There's really no need—" Souta protested.
Sesshoumaru frowned. "You raised her for ten years. This is but a small repayment."
"I-If you insist," Souta said, taking the koban.
His grandfather came and swiped one out of his hands and bit it.
"Grandpa!" Souta cried out.
"Gotta make sure it's real and not some demon's trick!" the old man said, examining the koban for a toothmark and then sniffing it. "It's real, alright."
Sesshoumaru's brow twitched, irritated that the man thought he would stoop to something like tanuki trickery. Seeing this, Souta bowed and said, "Thank you very much, Se-Sesshoumaru. We appreciate your kindness."
By then, breakfast was ready, and everyone but Sesshoumaru sat down at the kitchen table, grabbing various chairs to cram around it. Sesshoumaru observed as they ate on porcelain dishware and with finely carved and painted chopsticks—a far cry from the wooden dishes and plain utensils they used in Rin's hut.
He had never considered anything related to food as a gift for Rin, preferring to give her kimonos and adornments. Now he saw he would have to rectify that situation when they returned. Just because his wife lived in a hovel did not mean she had to live as a peasant. In this world, his daughter had grown up richer than the shoguns of his time, it seemed. Now that he better understood her prior living situation, he would strive to emulate it.
"So what would you like to do today?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.
"I need a bath!" Towa and Kagome exclaimed at the same time. They burst out laughing.
"Oooh, yeah, I wanna try out that whatchamacallit again. The indoor rain thingy," Moroha insisted, miming the fall of water over her head.
Mrs. Higurashi looked around with a mother's critical eye. "I supposed you all could do with your clothes freshly laundered as well. Hmm, but if all of you take turns here, we'll be stuck in the house all day. Why don't we go to a public bath and relax?"
A public bath? Sesshoumaru's jaw tightened with unease.
"Works for me!" Towa exclaimed. "Oh! But what about Mother?" she asked, turning towards Rin. "She can't sit in a bath because of the baby."
"Oh dear, that's right," Mrs. Higurashi said. "Tell you what. You all go to the baths. I'll stay here with Rin and Sesshoumaru so they can use the showers upstairs. I'm already washed for the day, so I'm fine. Then we can meet back here and get your laundry going before we head out."
"Head out where?" Setsuna asked.
"We should take them to see Tokyo Tower!" Towa exclaimed. "And Mother, you have to try real sushi and ice cream this time. Oh, oh, and Gammy, can we please have pizza tonight? I'm dying for it."
"Hey, I want some of that ramen while we're here," Inuyasha piped up. "Those noodles Moroha brought home a few days ago were good but didn't quite cut it."
The group made their plans, and Sesshoumaru offered no voice to them, content to let them plan the day how they wished. Soon, everyone got ready to depart. Before they left, Kagome tried on some of her old clothes her mother hadn't been able to bear to give away and lamented how fat she had gotten. The girls picked through some of Towa's clothing that Moe had brought over for them. Souta offered some of his own to Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, and Moe gave some of hers to Rin. Kagome ended up borrowing her mother's clothes after approving some of the more "modern" choices.
Towa then showed Rin and Sesshoumaru how to use the "shower" upstairs. Even Sesshoumaru was impressed that humans had figured out how to bring water under their command. He did not need his clothes laundered, as they were created of demon silk that repaired and cleansed itself with his energy. But when everyone left, Rin looked at her husband.
"Do you remember how to turn on that 'shower?'" she asked him, a sly glint in her eye. "Towa showed me so much at once, I can't quite remember."
Sesshoumaru smirked and nodded. They went back upstairs into the dark room. The first thing he did was "flick on the light," as he had seen his daughter do in all of the rooms they entered.
"Amazing," Rin breathed as the room illuminated. "It's so much easier than lighting a fire."
Sesshoumaru then walked over to the shower and maneuvered the handle until the water rushed out in what he considered to be a pleasing temperature.
Rin shut the door behind them and gave her husband a sultry look as she put a hand on her belly. "The baby's made me oh so tired and achy today. I think I might need help undressing. And perhaps…a massage?"
In seconds, he had divested the both of them of clothing and helped her into the shower. Rin moaned under the spray of warm water as Sesshoumaru lathered soap into her back muscles, pressing down into their contours with his fingers. He started at her shoulders and took his time worshipping her slick skin. When he made it down to her buttocks, his massaging fingers started goosing her, and Rin jumped, spinning around and hiding her butt from him. But then he just took the opportunity to massage her breasts, making her breath hitch, and as he moved down to soap her belly, he knelt and kissed their pup.
"Sesshoumaru," she breathed, wet desire in her eyes and at the crux of her legs.
He could not resist such a siren call, and he took her with great care against the slippery walls of the shower, enjoying just how easily he slid in and out of his wife.
Whether or not he had needed a shower before was up for debate…but he certainly needed one then.
