The large map on the wall outside Souta's classroom was multi-colored and marked with different countries by name with their capital and population. Inuyasha stood with his arms inside his sleeves as he marveled at the size of the world. The large section of land to the far West was so far away. He had seen pictures of the people in Kagome's History book dressed in silly costumes. They were weirdly fascinated with displaying the size of their crotches in paintings. He peered closer at the continent at the bottom. There was a 'Fun Fact!' that listed the average temperature and he paled. Who would live in such a place? Snow youkai, perhaps.
The hallway was decorated with other interesting things. Pictures of masters who taught at the academy. Advertisements for kids' activities like group sports and paid tutoring. Rules about running, throwing, or otherwise being a nuisance in the building. The windows showed kids outside on an abnormally green field kicking a ball around. Underneath his hat, his ears flattened as he watched one of the kids fall. Another kid seemed to be giving him shit for hurting his knee. An adult came by to help the kid but the bully got away.
Little bastard.
An older man with a balding head was leading Mama Higurashi through the hallway. She thanked him for his time and bowed. The man smiled at the pretty woman. His gaze lingered as she turned her back on him. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes on the old pervert.
"Inuyasha, enjoying yourself?" The woman patted his arm. "Thank you for walking with me."
"Is this accurate?" Inuyasha gestured at the wall.
"Oh, yes! There have been so many discoveries. The Americas, the islands, the far north..." She pointed at each of the locations.
"How can they afford such a large map? It must have taken ages to make." The banner was larger than most of the maps decorating the walls of daimyo. Such a detailed map would require a skilled caligrapher or an artist if the proportions didn't matter.
"It's printed, dear. Like the wooden blocks they press into ink, only more efficient."
"Like Kagome's books," he nodded in understanding. Whatever magic was involved with her study materials was being utilized here. The detail and size of her books couldn't be explained any other way.
"Would you like a map for yourself? We're going to a bookstore anyway." Mama Higurashi beamed.
"Y-yeah, if it's cheap." Inuyasha was amazed at the obvious wealth of Kagome's era. He could never afford a map like this one in his time. He held the door open for his future mother-in-law and stepped into the sunshine. It was a beautiful sunny weekday. The sidewalks were busy while the metal demons zoomed past. He silently promised to watch over Kagome's mother if any of the demons stopped obeying and jumped the curb. It had happened on the metal picture box.
"Souta has been acting a bit boisterous in class," she confided. "He is excited about his new big brother. The teacher was a bit concerned when he insisted that you were a real samurai warrior. They don't understand, of course. He tried to show his friend one of your 'moves' and knocked the classroom plant over. It has started a bit of a trend among the boys, sword-fighting in the courtyard with umbrellas and sticks."
"Sorry." Inuyasha's brother had asked him for 'lessons' to protect himself. He'd sympathized with the kid, imagining some bully. There had been many times he'd wished someone had taught him instead of learning for himself. The leg-sweep and blocks he had shared wouldn't get the kid in much trouble. "I told him at his age, the best thing he could do was run away from a bad guy."
"I know. It's just his age." Higurashi shrugged. "The wedding is coming up, he admires you, he's happy. The change will be less distracting after the wedding. His teacher understands. Souta lost his father, but having a role model is important. Another guy around the house is a big change for him."
Inuyasha didn't know what to say.
"Souta looks up to Kagome, too, but it's different. A big sister who watches out for him, who helps him with his homework. Souta sees you and he sees someone he wants to become. He can ask your advice about girls. You can do the chores he can't. You protect his sister and you're a bit mysterious." The woman smiled at him.
"Kids should have someone to look up to." Inuyasha agreed. "I don't get why the kid chose me but it's fine."
"There." Higurashi took his arm and guided him in the right direction. The bookstore was near Kagome's school. The inside smelled like ink, paper and freshly brewed coffee. People were sitting at tables drinking and chatting. The larger section of the store was aisles and aisles of books on display, just like Kagome's schoolbooks. Inuyasha stood in awe as he calculated the value. The matron giggled and drew him forward by the hand. Books, shirts, coffee mugs, artist sets – they even had a section specifically for children!
"History, history..." Higurashi pulled him along.
Maps, coloring books, pens, squares with funny little sayings on them. Inuyasha bent forward in interest at a paper book with pictures of some foreign country on the cover. The woman were wearing cloth skirts tied around their waists. His eyes widened when he noticed one of the women was topless. He looked at Kagome's mom perusing the titles and inwardly panicked. He grabbed the pile and dipped around the aisle. How could they put topless women on display in a store that allowed children to visit? They were practically at a child's height! If Kagome's mother had noticed him looking at naked woman, what would she say? Would she retract her blessing and tell Kagome?
"Not on my watch." Inuyasha was keenly aware of the woman opening a book of maps.
There was a higher shelf in the corner that no kid would be able to reach. He eyed a rolling stool and leapt on it easily. With his superior reach he was able to push the stack of dirty pictures onto the slat. Kagome would be proud of him, protecting children. He rested his hands on his hips and leaned back. What he didn't understand was the glossiness of the magazines. They were slipping forward and falling around him. As Kagome's mother turned the corner and noticed him, he flailed. One moment, he was standing on the stool, the next he was lying on the floor. Naked women and men surrounded him. Women showing their breasts. Art magazines depicting a nude woman standing in a shell. A medical magazine that had a full illustration of a man's parts with the sections listed.
"Are you alright?" Kagome's mother noticed the penis magazine.
"No, no!" Inuyasha put his hand on the image.
"You fell! Are you dizzy?" She kneeled on the carpet. "Did you hurt your head?"
"Fine! Go to the front." Inuyasha practically begged. She was growing more and more interested in the magazine he was most interested to cover. Shame roared through him as he was forced to release the paper. It was bent and crumpled but it clearly showed what it showed. Her mouth quirked upwards and he stopped breathing.
"I have two children, Inuyasha. I have seen a man before." She closed the magazine and smoothed it in her hands. There was a visible theme in the others scattered around him. Without a word, she gathered the picture books and added them to a table.
Inuyasha stayed quiet, expecting harsher words.
"Have you ever attended a Health class?" She offered him a hand and he stood.
"Kagome talked about it once." He frowned as he tried to remember what she had told Sango.
"This is a medical book. It is trying to encourage men's health." Higurashi opened to the offending picture. The next page depicted a similar system in the female anatomy. Inuyasha's eyes widened and he turned his head. His face flushed, even though it depicted the urethra's connection to the bladder.
"Kagome looks at these?"
"It is trying to describe how a bladder infection occurs, how it can travel to the bladder." Her small finger followed the path. His flush darkened. "Kagome is at school studying pictures like these to help people. Knowing what the parts of the body do helps diagnose diseases faster. It can save people's lives."
"Unmarried women can nurse a naked guy?" Inuyasha couldn't stand the idea of Kagome being in the same room as another naked man. Even a sick one. In his time, only mikos went that far. Otherwise, wives or a married relative usually tended a sick man.
"Perhaps, but she won't be unmarried long." She smiled at him. "It's not sexual, Inuyasha. Kagome wants to help people. This is just a portion of her training. She will also study the feet, heart, lungs, ears, eyes – "
"What about those then? Are those medical?"
"It's a cultural magazine. There's a tribe in a far off country where the woman simply walk around topless." She grinned at his wide eyes. With a casual flick of her wrist, she pushed the magazine open and showed him the pictures. People living in a village like Kaede's. Women holding water vases. People with skin darker than anyone he'd ever seen. He locked eyes with the beautiful woman on the page and flushed. She was nearly naked but held a large leaf to her chest and another to her lower region. So different from Kagome's pale skin. Dark eyes, darker lips, different hair – but her face was challenging him to argue with her. Proud. She stood like an Empress with her chin raised and her slender throat.
"Isn't she lovely? She's a model." The woman sighed. "This article is about her home village and the things they're doing. There's a lot of foreign investments in the region related to politics, but she's raising independent money with her photo campaign."
"It's not a dirty book?"
"Of course not! There are articles about animal poaching, irrigation, disease – " Kagome's mother flipped to each section. Sometimes the pictures were people in cities like Kagome's. Others looked like Kaede's village, or ocean ports with huge ships. Adverts for recreation in the area, such as zoos or tours of cities.
"Is this far away?"
"It's a fair distance from here. Oh, how cute!" Kagome's mother stopped at a page with a nekoyoukai. It was curled on its back like Kilala and showing its belly.
"W-what are you doing?" Inuyasha watched her add the magazine to the book in her arm.
"I want to read the articles later. Oh, and this." The medical one was added to the stack. "Would you like one?"
Inuyasha perused the remaining covers. One explicitly listed '10 sexual positions to please your man' on the cover. He pushed down his curiosity and noticed one about home furnishings. Antiques, home repairs – the man was wearing a thick khaki apron and holding a tool of some kind. It promised to teach him to build a table, which sounded helpful. Higurashi approved of his choice.
"Are you sure you don't want that one?" She gestured. Inuyasha noticed she was pointing at the sexual one. He turned down the aisle. She giggled and slipped the women's magazine into her stack. He had unknowingly selected one of her girlhood favorites.
