Musashi Province

Yuuta wiped the sweat from his brow and retrieved his fallen arrows to their rightful place on his back, his dark orbs scanning the forest one last time before examining his prize. A roe deer laid twitching on the ground at his feet, its eyes peering up at him as it realized its fate, and with common decency to end the creature's suffering, he withdrew a dagger from his side and slit its throat. Moments after, it fell still, and he hefted it onto the cart with the oxen.

From there, he also examined a sleuth of smaller animals piled together, ranging from rabbits, foxes, weasels and boars, and this triumph at midday eased his worries for the village. When he first became a hunter, it had been difficult to find anything in these woods, besides the prowling wolves months ago, but so far, this winter was lenient.

Shippo cooed and giggled from the cloth carrier on his back, his small hands tapping his shoulders in his fit of excitement, and Yuuta flashed the child a smile. Unlike other babies, he was well behaved, and far less annoying, but he supposed that had something to do with his demon blood. Still, after hours of hunting, he would have thought he'd throw a tantrum, but there was nothing but contentment in those green eyes of his.

During the three months of Kagome's absence, Shippo never cried, and though it worried him at first, Yuuta realized the young demon slayer woman, Sango, was right. Two months ago, he had approached her, fearing something was ailing the boy, but according to her expertise surrounding demons, there was nothing unusual about his quietness. It was likely Shippo had already realized his mother's destiny and had accepted it.

Yuuta mused on the memory.

As young as he is, I still find it hard to believe… Sango said there are demons out there, far more empathetic than humans, and that Shippo was just one of the few that exist in this world. I guess he picked up on everyone's conversations or emotions from back then. That's the only way I can make sense of it…

Not to mention Kagome promised to return. Could the child really understand that, despite their differences? It was strange, but not enough to deter Yuuta. So long as he continued behaving, then they would get along just fine.

When he peered back at the child, he noticed Shippo's eyes staring elsewhere, his growing fox ears erect and alert above his head of curly auburn hair. It was an unusual sight to behold, as though something had caught his attention. Yuuta followed his gaze and noticed something in the shadows of the branches of a tall tree. What was it?

On closer inspection, he realized it wasn't an animal, but it also wasn't human, and that alone stilled him. A demon! A pale figure dressed in black clothing loomed on the highest branch, hidden by the limbs and leaves, and from his position just below its base, Yuuta barely made out the crimson eyes peering back.

"Bat! Bat!" Shippo said, waving his little hands at the creature, surprising the hunter suddenly.

The instant those words fell from his mouth, Yuuta glanced away, but when he peered back, he realized the figure was gone, as though it had never existed. In its absence, a few leaves scattered onto the ground at his feet, and Yuuta glanced at Shippo. Did he know what it was? A bat demon?

It was no surprise to him that Shippo spoke, in fact, over the last few days, he had called him "dada", and as heartwarming as the title was, he realized Kagome would likely miss out on these experiences. In the next few months, according to Sango, the child would start walking and possibly form bigger vocabulary, far faster than the average human infant.

In that respect, Yuuta also wondered about the demon energy within him. How long until his demon strength emerged? Would he always remain carefree? Or would his instinct as a fox demon lead him astray? So long as nothing negative in any great sense interfered in his usual environment, it was possible he would remain justly.

Despite the uncertainty in the situation, Yuuta decided there was no reason to stay in the forest for any longer than necessary and instead, led the oxen back into the village. Upon his return, he unloaded his prey into a crate outside his hut and turned as a familiar face approached him.

Soft brown eyes, half-hidden beneath a straight fringe, greeted him with little elation. A scowl marred Aiko's once laid-back complexion, and he lingered on heavy feet while smoothing away untidy strands from his face. "Yuuta… I told you not to take Shippo hunting! How many times does that make it this month?"

A sighed escaped him. "Calm down. He wasn't in any danger. Besides, I think the kid enjoys these outings more than the rest of us."

But Aiko wasn't having any of that. "For goodness' sake, Yuuta! He's only a baby! One wrong slipup and that'd be the end of it! If something ever happened to him, do you realize how upset Kagome would be?"

He shrugged and smiled as Shippo tilted his head at the conversation, his little ears twitching. "I'm pretty sure she'd be fine with it, especially knowing he's in my care. If you haven't realized it already, Aiko, I'm a capable hunter. As well as this little one's guardian."

"Oh, I'm quite aware of how capable you are, but need I remind you, he was also left in my care? I'm also responsible. We're supposed to watch him together. Really! A little warning next time would suffice. When I woke to find him missing from his crib, I thought the worst! And further more—"

Before another word could fall from her mouth, Yuuta leaned forward and placed his hands onto her shoulders. The simple action worked like a charm, because she immediately grew quiet, and he took that moment to quell her temper.

"I didn't mean to worry you, Aiko. I understand our responsibility should be shared equally, but I thought some fresh air away from the village would do Shippo some good. We didn't stray too far from the forest either," He said, hoping his words would calm her, and to his relief, it did. "Not only that, but you also have your hands full with things around here. Don't waste your energy and get some sleep for a change. I can look after Shippo for the time being." After that, he released his hold on her and backed away, and a heavy sigh escaped her.

"Fine… You have a point, but at least give me a warning before you take off with him."

He nodded. "Sure. By the way, how is Lady Kaede? Did the physician say anything while I was away?" A glance of sadness answered his thoughts. So, it was just as he feared.

"He's done all he could, but it's clear there's not much time left. She resting right now. If things continue as is, I'm afraid our village might find itself without a priestess soon enough…"

"I see… And what about the medicine he's provided her?"

"It's effective, but only temporarily. He warned us that any continued use may become fatal, so he said to use it only sparingly. Other than that, there's nothing else he can do."

"In that case, I'll pay him what he's owed and send him on his way," He said, but when he noticed tears prickle her eyes, he leaned forward once again and wiped away a fallen tear. "Enough of that. What use will crying do? Don't forget, we won't be without a priestess for much longer. Kagome's training over there, and not just for her sake, but for all of us."

This brought a smile to Aiko. "You're right… I wonder how she's doing? It's only been three months, but it feels longer than that," She said, laughing. "Anyway… I'll take Shippo for now. It's his feeding time."

Obliging to her orders, he turned and allowed her to unwrap Shippo from the cloth carrier on his back. But when he heard her laugh, he glanced over his shoulder. "What's so funny?"

"I can't imagine you wrapped him yourself. How on earth did you manage that, Yuuta?"

A blush tinged his cheeks, and he rubbed his nose as Aiko held Shippo in her arms. "I remember seeing Kagome do it a few times before she left. Didn't seem too difficult."

Again she laughed. "Well, I'd say you're turning into quite the father figure these days. It's quite unlike you," She teased. "Anyway, I will return Shippo before nightfall."

"Why so late?"

"Is it wrong that I want to spend time with him? Hm?"

Yuuta held up his hands and sweat dropped. "Okay. Okay. He's all yours. You can keep him for the rest of the evening." At his reply, Aiko grinned and swayed her hips as she adjusted Shippo onto her waist, and before long, she disappeared down the path through the village, humming Shippo's favorite melody.

Finally alone, he ran a hand through his messy mane of shoulder-length ebony hair and turned to examine the creatures he had hunted this morning. All while wondering how he escaped Aiko's persistent reprimanding. "I believe she's more difficult than a certain someone I know…"

But his thoughts returned to their brief discussion concerning the head priestess of the village. Since the day Kagome had left to begin her training in the province of Kai, the old woman's health started deteriorating. When she found it difficult to leave her futon and swallow her food, he had no other choice but to ask Kosuke and a few others to remain hush. The last thing he wanted was to spread awareness to the entire village and cause a panic.

Little good that did, especially after she started coughing up blood, and he had no other choice but to have his men search for the nearest physician in the province. They found one of high status too. Well… more like hunted. Yuuta faintly recalled the moment his men returned with an older man tied and stuffed into a bag; they had kidnapped him from a noble residence far away and dropped him at Lady Kaede's doorstep.

The village was now aware of the situation, but was fortunately handling it calmly, asking about the older woman every day of every hour. But now that the medicine did little to quell her sickness, he mentally prepared himself for the day she'd not awaken again.

"Kagome… She'll return only to troubling news…"

Noticing that the door to his hut was open, he stepped inside, only to find his band of men gathered around a table staring at a blueprint. The moment he did, they turned and welcomed him with dopey smiles; the majority ushering him over with a wave of their hands.

He arched a brow at the goons, and if they stared for any longer at the worn parchment, he was sure their eyes would pop out. "Don't tell me you've been here all day looking at that?"

Akira clasped his hands, his eyes practically sparkling with new ideas, while the rest of the men wore several expressions of elation and resting bitch face. It was a term he picked up from Kagome, which to this day still made him chuckle. "Yuuta, we came up with new ideas to surprise boss when she comes back!"

"We were assisting the demon slayers with the huts these past months and overheard them mention an indoor bath. So, we're thinking about adding that into the hut for boss."

Yuuta scratched his chin at the idea and examined the blueprint. The penmanship was atrocious but legible enough. "I see… An outdoor bath would be inconvenient since I understand she prefers her privacy…"

"Only the best for boss!" They cheered.

"What if we added shelves in this room with those scented oils Sango mentioned?" Akira asked. "You know, the kind that makes your skin soft and smells nice?"

"Hey, that's a good idea!"

"But having a bath inside a closed off room… wouldn't that seem uncomfortable?" One of the former bandits asked. "What if she had an outside view with a screen? That way she still has a scenic view and privacy!"

A chorus of agreements followed. "Only the best for boss!"

Yuuta couldn't agree more. "I think Kagome would like that. Next chance I get, I'll talk with the Demon Slayers about this since they are more familiar with this craftsmanship."

"But Yuuta, you're practically a carpenter now!" One of them said.

"My expertise lies with buildings, not accommodations that deal with stone and clay," He answered. "The kamado stoves were a significant improvement to the village, but we shouldn't get too carried away. The last thing she'd want is lavish furnishings that others cannot have."

The room fell silent at this, to which he once again arched a brow. There was a sense of hesitance in their stances, their gazes shifting awkwardly at each other and briefly to him. They were hiding something.

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Well… we sort of found some things to make the place look less shabby—"

He narrowed his eyes. "You mean you stole?"

Akira held a hand up. "No, no! We swore to boss we'd never steal again, unless it was an emergency. Actually… it's the stuff from our old hideout. All that stuff we left behind before we starting living in that old temple and met boss. We buried lots of treasure there, enough we could use to buy boss some nice furs and kimonos."

"How about it, Yuuta?" Another asked. "We aren't using it, so what's the harm?"

A chorus of agreements followed. "Yeah! It's the least we can do for all the help she's done for us!"

The old treasure? For as long as he remained in this village, he'd almost forgotten about it, but that money belonged to the previous boss. Though he was long dead now, so it made sense that it was handed down to the next in line. But the question was, just how much treasure was buried away? As he stood there, wracking his brain, he realized the amount would probably equal that of a noble, perhaps even slightly above that.

I'm not so sure Kagome is aware she's far more important to my men than she realizes… But I see no reason to argue. After all the work she's going through to make a difference, it's the least we can do for her.

"Very well," Yuuta said after a pause. "I see no harm in that, but don't be reckless. Should there ever come a time when we face an emergency, we should always have enough stored away."

They cheered. "Only the best for boss!"

"Wait a minute! What about Shippo? He's our boss's adoptive son, after all! We can't leave him out!"

"We can get him new clothes and toys!"

"Only the best for Shippo!" They cheered.

A few hours passed since his conversation with his men and after taking care of storing the animals into a shed near his hut, which would be skinned and gutted before the evening, he made his way to Lady Kaede's hut. But just as he arrived at the pitiful structure, which still lacked a decent sliding door like the other huts, he raised his fist to knock.

Kosuke stepped out, the hide raised at his exit, but he paused and struck him with an irritated scowl. The dislike was palpable, but Yuuta remained unflinching, and after a brief glance, he stalked past without a word. It seemed their past confrontation had left him bitter, but there was no helping it.

Without thinking, he reached for the hide and ducked under and inside the room, where a faint fog of incense filled the space. He held his breath as he crossed the distance to her futon to pay his respects, and she acknowledged him with a weak smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Better… somewhat," She said, coughing behind thin and chapped lips. "Ye need not look so glum… It is the way of life. Life… has always been fleeting, and I do not fear it…"

"Lady Kaede…"

She smiled and reached a hand and touched his. "Ye and ye men make this old woman proud… To see ye ways changed and have settled in this village… I appreciate all ye have done for us. I hope ye will continue to mend ye old ways and find comfort here… or anywhere else ye may wish to go to."

"As of now, I have no plans of leaving here, Lady Kaede."

The old woman nodded. "I heard… from Naomi and Aiko that… they have already courted the women of this village," She said, referring to his men. "That reassures me… They may very well create a future for themselves."

At the mentioning, he blinked. His men were courting women? Since when? "This… is news to me. Those fools have a hard time keeping secrets, and they've already started courting?" The thought made him chuckle.

A haggard cough wracked Lady Kaede's body, and, wincing at the sound, he handed her a handkerchief and a bowl of water. After wiping away the blood which now splotched the cloth, she drank from the cup and fell back into the futon.

"Lady Kaede—"

She held a hand up and interrupted him. "Speaking of settling down… have ye decided?"

The lines on his brow grew further from her inquiry, and he lowered his head in thought. Regardless of her health, she only cared about the well-being of others and their personal concerns. "I… don't think that's a decision I should make on my own," He said, referring to the contract marriage they spoke of a while back. "I'll leave that to Kagome."

Kaede smiled. "Ye are a good man, Yuuta. Love… doesn't go unnoticed. It's clear ye hold affection for her and her child… If ye care for her, tell her when she returns."

Warmth spread across his cheeks, and he chuckled. "I'm not worthy. Kagome is a pure soul and deserves someone who hasn't soiled their hands. I admit… there was a time before our friendship where I treated her wrongly. I still regret that…" He said, looking back on the moment he first locked eyes with her and had kidnapped her. Back then, he had thoughts to claim her as his woman, but who would have guessed that encounter would lead him here.

"That is ye past. Kagome is forgiving. She does not judge others… The only person holding ye back is ye…" She said, another cough escaping her. "I… fear the worse might come to pass…"

"What do you mean?"

"If ye don't tell her, someone else might come along."

Kosuke appeared in the forefront of his head suddenly, smirking cockily, with a certain blue-eyed woman held against him. The thought unnerved him. No. That was impossible. Although he had admitted his attraction for Kagome to him that night in the barn, he hadn't acted on his desires. There was hesitance and fear which held him back, especially when Yuuta revealed a similar interest.

Still… there was always a chance he might prove him wrong and approach Kagome. There was nothing holding her back from accepting his proposal, if it happened, and there was nothing he could do to stop that. It led Yuuta to realizing his own fears of losing her to another.

"This is only by contract. It's not official, Yuuta. Tell Kagome before any agreement or disagreement is made. If the feelings are mutual… it will be official. That way… there wouldn't be any guilt between ye two."

"I'll give it some thought… I will take my leave, Lady Kaede. Please rest easy," He said, standing and turning from the room before stepping outside. As he did, he noticed Aiko just outside, a short distance away, talking with Naomi. The young woman was cradling Shippo before quickly handing her back to Aiko and scurrying off.

It was then she noticed him exit the hut. "Oh, Yuuta. I didn't think I'd run into you here. I thought you were still working on the blueprint with the guys."

"Dada! Dada!" Shippo cheered, clapping his hands.

Yuuta smiled at the sight and reached for the boy, holding him close against his chest before ruffling his hair. "He seems in good spirits. What was that about with Naomi?"

"Oh, she wanted advice on how to hold a child. So she and I spent some time together, and I taught her the basics, along with Mayoko."

He frowned at this. "So… she's deciding to keep it?"

Aiko's expression matched his, and she nodded. "Yeah."

"That bastard's child…" He said, half growling.

It wasn't a secret to the village that many of the young girls had been raped and molested by Satouru. And that included Naomi. Despite receiving his judgement, not only by the hands of the villagers and his men, but because he had attempted to chase after Kagome and even murder Shippo, it left him sick with revenge.

And now Naomi was pregnant with his child.

"Even though it's… his… she doesn't want the child to be blamed for what happened to her. She wants to be a mother."

"And is he okay with this decision?" He asked, referring to the man Naomi had fallen in love with shortly after the Demon Slayers began reconstruction of the village. "It's no secret he's fond of her."

"Yes. He understands the situation but still loves her and wishes to raise the child."

That surprised him. "It's rare to see a man take someone else's child as his own. Naomi is lucky. So, when are they having the ceremony?"

"When the season becomes warmer. She wanted to wait until Kagome returned from training, but there's no telling when that may be."

"The sooner the better," He said. "That way the child isn't born out of wedlock."

Aiko couldn't agree more. "You're right. I'm just happy that things are getting better here."

"Fu! Fu!"

Yuuta arched a brow. "Fu?"

"He's saying food," She laughed. "He surprises me every day. Soon he'll be talking up a storm in no time. Can you believe he's grown this much already?"

At the mentioning of food, his stomach rumbled. That didn't sound half bad right now. Thoughts of wolf stew came to mind, the kind Kagome whipped up months ago, and he'd been craving it since. "Aiko, have you eaten yet?"

"No. I haven't."

"Would you like to join me and Shippo for lunch?" He asked, watching as Shippo's fox ears perked at the sound. Glancing back at her, he noticed her face redden unexpectedly, and she bit her mouth as though to hold back from saying something. "If not, it's fine—"

"I'd love to," She said, grinning from ear to ear. "I've been so preoccupied this morning that it slipped my mind."