Inuyasha perched high in the canopy above the wooden shrine. He tucked his arms high into his sleeves while he casually listened to the ceremony below. The parents had specifically requested Miroku lead the ceremony for their little boy but they insisted on Kagome's presence. The priestess folded her hands together while Miroku offered his prayers to the little one. Kagome accepted the baby into her arms with a smile.
He smacked the side of his neck. An irritating mentor floated free.
"Why must you treat this old flea so? I came to offer my congratulations!" Myouga laid on his knee. The flea panted heavily but forfeited when his master showed no sympathy. He popped onto his shoulder to watch the humans below. "The Lady Kagome looks quite happy!"
"Keep it down, will you?"
"My lord has made a most auspicious match. I prefer a fleshier woman myself but to each his own! Just last night I - "
"Ugh!" Inuyasha covered Myouga with his palm before he could hear the remainder of that confession. "Oi, Myouga. How do you talk to them in that state?"
"Which state, milord?" The flea wriggled free. Inuyasha stewed in silence before saying. The grandfatherly demon made any number of false assumptions before he pointed out that it was the monk's wife in that situation! The slayer was quiet enough about it but Kagome was thrilled for their friends. She had lamented that Sango's baby would not be the first baby she would bless at the shrine.
"I suppose it has only been a short while. You have not spoken to your friend? That woman has a firm backside!"
The humans retreated into the shrine to present the newest member of the community to the local kami. Inuyasha listened while Kagome led the prayers of the little family for strength while they marked the baby's forehead with special red ink. The little burst of holy energy made him lean forward.
"The girl retains her powers? My lord! No wonder you are concerned about heirs if – ow!" Myouga struggled under his palm. Inuyasha ignored the pest while he considered the glowing string round his thumb. It bisected the air and disappeared into the roof of the shrine. If he closed his eyes he could sense the pure aura of his bride. The girl was excited about her first solitary ceremony without Kaede or perhaps she was considering their 'one-month anniversary'. To grant her wish, they were taking a trip in his era to checkup on Jinenji and the mountain witch. Rumors told of an herb dealer to the north of monstrous size.
"As long as we return in time, Inuyasha! School starts in a week!"
"Listen, creeper. Kagome is my wife and Sango is my friend. Stay out of their skirts. If either of them complain about you being a lecher, I'll punt you out of this village for good. Get your thrills elsewhere, baka."
"Y-yes, m'lord."
Inuyasha leapt down readily when the humans parents exited the shrine. Kagome tossed her sheet in Miroku's face to descend the steps. He squeezed her around the waist and turned in a circle. The laughter in his ears was wonderful. Kagome held up her long white sleeve to block the view for their kiss. Preparations for the naming ceremony had required her to wake at dawn without his escort. She smoothed her hands over his shoulders and chest.
"Good afternoon, husband."
"H-hey." The delight in her eyes unsettled him. He glared at the spying monk who only chuckled. Their friend resumed tidying the shrine while pretending to ignore them. Kagome wasted no time pulling him close for another breathless smooch.
"Granny Kaede says I am doing well. What did you think? I'm just glad the baby didn't cry," Kagome smiled. "Miroku did most of the recitations but I held him. He had the tiniest hands! It reminded me of when Souta was first born. I hope he liked me."
"Kagome-sama!" Myouga dangled from his bangs. Before he could grab the pest, he was in Kagome's palms. "Salutations and congratulations, my Lady. Your service was performed with grace and honor."
"Thank you! I was nervous the entire time. There was a burst of energy in the middle. Did you sense anything, Inuyasha?" The sweet girl looked up. "They asked me to kiss the baby's forehead. I could sense his soul. He was happy to have a name. I asked the spirit to bless him with strength."
"Kagome-sama kissed the mark for strength on the forehead of little Hisashi. The mark glowed with her power. I sensed it too." Miroku sat on the stairs. "We can only hope that her power takes hold to make a man of great fortitude. Farming is hard work compared to blessing babies. I can only hope that when my babe is born, Kagome-sama will deign to kiss him. I shall have to consider the word of prayer thoroughly."
"They paid you mon to kiss babies? Sounds like your kind of work. Idiot," Inuyasha scoffed. Miroku was too happy to take any offense at his words. A friendly hand patted his shoulder before linking his shakujou across his shoulders. The corrupt priest was actually whistling on his walk down the path! Kagome giggled.
"I'll charge him double to kiss his baby, how's that sound?"
"Nah, that means charging Sango. I dunno what she sees in that guy but she seems to like him. What a pain." Inuyasha looked elsewhere when Kagome took his arm. She leaned into him when they started to close the distance. Sango was finishing laundry at the river's edge with Rin. Miroku held a finger to his lips when Sango went to clip another white kimono to the line. Before his hands could wrap around her waist, his wife had tossed him over her shoulder. Inuyasha rushed forward to catch the piece of laundry in the wind before it could get dirty.
"Miroku, you pervert! You scared me. Don't you ever learn?" The taijiya bent over him.
"It seems not," he chuckled.
Inuyasha presented the damp cloth to Sango like a prize. The girl thanked him before smoothing out the wrinkles. The shirt was pinned with gusto next to the family wash. Kaede and Rin both owned kimono drying on the line. Kagome dropped like a stone beside Sango to tell her about her first independent ceremony! Kaede was still preoccupied changing the poultice on an old man's leg carrying a nasty infection. Rin claimed her place beside him while the older girls conversed with lightning speed that made his head hurt. The girl peeled petals off an early flower. Miroku reclined on the hill below them to soak in the sunlight.
"Does Inuyasha like me?"
Rin peered over at him shyly. The loose petals in her hand were being crushed in a fist. Miroku smiled but didn't say anything. The girl's question made him squirm but he managed to say something affirmative but non-committal. She was a nice enough kid despite her tendency to chatter like a monkey. Kaede enjoyed having a hard-working pair of hands to lighten her load. The old granny wasn't as young as she once was; the demands of the village only grew each year. Rin refocused on her petals while he stretched his arms over his head. If Kagome kept her word they would be on the road in another day. Her afternoon had been promised to cooking lessons with her mother for their group's special dinner. Sango and Miroku were excited to try her 'flowery dumplings' as she called them.
"If Kagome becomes Rin's big sister, does that mean Inuyasha is Rin's big brother?"
Miroku coughed suspiciously into his sleeve. The girl kept her head bowed while she destroyed another weed.
"Rin had brothers once. They liked to put lizards in Rin's things but Inuyasha isn't like that. You would not push mud in my hair would you?" Rin looked up suspiciously. "Kaede says that boys are nothing but trouble! You do make a lot of noise."
"I – you – "
"If Inuyasha were my brother I would not mind. You wouldn't make Rin get married or be a woman." He threw a rock at Miroku's laughing head to silence him. As if he could stop the kid from becoming an adult! Kagome was excited enough about the event to talk about the details even if most went over his head. She liked the idea of having a little sister to spoil, particularly a sweet girl like Rin. It was scheduled to take place before the beginning of her first school term in the summer. Beyond the sunflower pendant dangling from her neck, Kagome had other gifts set aside to give the child. Whatever else the ceremony concerned, they all agreed that she needed a matron as her mentor.
"Have you told Sesshomaru about it?"
Rin's little face hardened at the monk's earnest question. Inuyasha scratched his neck for the opportunity to study her. The press of her fingers forced fluid out of the flattened petals until her flesh became sticky. Miroku disregarded the silence to study his palm against the sky. Rin glanced up at him. I guess the bastard has been keeping his distance like Granny Kaede asked...to let her have a go at being human. I haven't caught wind of his scent since before the wedding.
"You tuck the chicken into the dough and cook them in boiling water. My mother has the fastest hands! I'm going to learn so I can make them for Inuyasha," Kagome clapped her hands together. "Vegetables, rice, dumplings – it should be wonderful. You and Miroku will be at the house before dark?"
"Of course!"
"You are coming to dinner, aren't ya? I'm sure Kaede can spare you. We need a fourth for cards," Inuyasha nudged. "I'm no good but Kagome likes games. She wants the entire group there to try her mother's cooking and I bet she brings ninja snacks. You're partial to the orange drink."
"I am," Rin answered.
"Oi, Kagome! When you come back, make sure you bring that orange drink I like, will you? And the chips potato?" Inuyasha ignored the little wrinkle in her cute nose. "There had better be enough to share! I don't want Miroku stealing them all this time."
"Baka, you could say please! Didn't I tell you, Sango?" Kagome turned in a huff. "Maybe we should just have a girl's night if they are going to be so rude! Wouldn't that teach them to be entitled? Men!"
"Kagome!"
"What have I to do with Inuyasha's demands? You wouldn't let your husband suffer, would you? Sango?" Miroku sat up. The danger of being excluded from Kagome's good cooking did not a joyful night make. He scowled at the monk. The slayer seemed swayed by her husband's charming smile. Kagome crossed her arms stubbornly. He left the monk to sweet-talk his wife when Kagome started home. He gave her a head start to cool down – no need to risk a sit command. It wasn't until she approached the well that he dropped down from the canopy. Her hakama brushed against the grass when she made a break for it.
"Inuyasha, no!"
"Kagome!" Of course he was faster. Before she could touch the wood he had her. She squirmed and fought but he kissed her behind the ear. The scent of her was faded in his present state but she was soft. It was easy to know he was forgiven when she turned to laugh.
"You're a jerk."
"I know." The blackness of her hair felt good against his cheek. They swayed together. A month's worth of memories gave him peace. Kagome was proud of their house and their little garden. Weekly dinners with her family were tolerable. His mother-in-law made dishes he liked. Tonight was different though. His wife was determined to have a special dinner with their friends. It was a different type of dinner than the social visits from the local grandmothers and their kin curious to figure out the new priestess and her hanyou. This dinner was a private celebration of happiness. Inuyasha touched her face. A month of nights had taught him that Kagome enjoyed soft, slow movements. He chuckled when she tilted her head for another kiss. There was lust but the urgency was abated. Big blue eyes fluttered open. The general state of her made him grin.
"Stay in the house after dark. I don't want anyone seeing you. Not yet," she commanded. "My brother bought a bag of candy to send back with the money you gave him. You're going to ruin your teeth."
"Well, he's my little brother too," Inuyasha grinned. The teenager was annoying but he was a font of knowledge about modern customs. Souta had saved his hide several times during their engagement. Kagome didn't disagree. He dipped his head to claim her bottom lip. Memories of their wedding night were colored in dull shades but Kagome didn't mind. Perhaps next month they could arrange to spend the night in her era where there were fewer dangers. The girl had already remarked that she wanted more time to 'investigate' his human ears.
"I really do have to go," she pouted half-heartedly. The way she tilted on her toes contradicted the statement. Nefarious hands crept through his hair to tweak his ear. He retaliated by lowering his palms. His wife slapped his chest and wriggled free.
"Pervert!" Kagome smiled at him before tipping over the Well. He folded his arms into his sleeves. Hopefully Miroku would meet him at the carpenter's house to check the work on their new cabinet. The human was too nervous to barter with him but the monk was harmless.
The Higurashi kitchen was a vortex of action while mother and daughter worked. Souta was shoved outside by his sister when he and Buyo came to investigate the smells drifting through the second floor. She paused to check her reflection on the return. The bandanna over her hair and the white apron were very cute over her blue dress! She posed womanly in the mirror. I wish Inuyasha were here!
Mama was making another batch of chicken filling for the dumplings. Others were already in the bamboo steamer. Kagome rejoined the battle to roll, segment and flatten the dough before her mother could empty the steamer. Inuyasha was well-known to her mother to be a bottomless pit; she blamed his age and his athleticism. Young men were always hungry, she said. It was their curse!
"Souta?"
"Yes! I suppose it was time. Teenagers are expensive to feed. Next thing you know, he will be shooting up!" Mama laughed. "Can you imagine your little brother taller than you? I hope he inherits your father's height."
"Dad?"
"Inuyasha is a good height but not too tall. A pair should match. Roll!" Mama waved her palm. Kagome resumed her work flattening the segmented dough. Her mother took over the task of filling each with chicken and vegetables before crimping. There would be a dip to accompany the meal of roasted eggplant, egg drop soup and fried vegetables. The skilled hands of her mother far outpaced her. When the last batch of dumplings were cooling she collapsed into a chair. The brisk back-and-forth of her mother nearly left her tipsy. Not only were they preparing the evening meal for the family, they had to carefully pack the food for transfer! Kagome began to doubt her own strength at carting so many stuffed dumplings through the village. Now I wish I hadn't made Inuyasha wait inside the house. We could use an extra pair of hands.
A clattering pot jarred her. Her mother pointed.
An ancient family dish towel coiled upwards. Kagome pushed back from her seat when it twirled upon itself. The shape of a tiny white dragon floated in the air. Shadows in the towel created the eyes; a red light came to life. Tiny paper fangs hissed at them before the demon flew into the next room.
"Oh no you don't!" Kagome took an iron skillet with her. The white dragon ignored Buyo napping in the hallway. The shiro uneri attacked a coat rack, toppling it to the matting. Kagome jumped over it when the creature slipped under the door to the laundry. She hesitated in the frame. Hampers filled with the family's laundry acted as the perfect disguise. Her mother commonly separated the colors from the whites. There was movement in the green cloth hamper. When it inevitably attacked she hit it squarely in the head with her pan. It coiled on the floor.
"I am sorry you have been overused but would you rather be thrown away?"
White cloth wrapped around her feet. Kagome fell hard. The body of the cloth dragon kept her immobilized while it hovered over her. She hit it again with the flat of the iron, charged with reiki. There was a poof before the cloth disintegrated into dust.
"Oh, Kagome. What a smart prank! Did Souta help you? My clever little monkey," Mama giggled. She seemed nonplussed by the event. Kagome wiped her face clean with a sleeve. Sitting on the floor surrounded by dirty sheets unsettled her. She shook the cotton clean before chasing after her mother. Her beautiful clean apron was streaked with mildew from the demon's exterior.
"Mama, you saw the demon! It wasn't a prank. Please tell me you saw it," she begged. Her mother bent over the kitchen table to add a lid to the container. She only received a pleasant smile as answer. Kagome tossed down the apron to confront her mother. "Mama, it was a shiro uneri here in our own kitchen! Don't you care? A demon attacked us in our house! Isn't that familiar to you?"
"It was very familiar! I still remember the construction bill from the battle of the cockroach. Inuyasha must be more careful." The smiling matron giggled against her fist. "He was quite intent on defending us! It was rather sweet but a bit of an overreaction. The workmen could hardly believe a tree fell on the property. There was no tree!"
"Mama," she exhaled. She took the woman's flour-covered hands in her own. "Don't you remember Christmas with Dad? A woman came to the door. She attacked you! Or the grandmother who climbed the side of the house when you were pregnant with Souta. She was a beast with claws!"
"What the imagination you have. The sun is falling. Inuyasha will be waiting for you."
"The lanterns for Obon became possessed! They chased me in the courtyard. How can you not remember?" Kagome stomped her foot. The deep, calm sense of her mother's aura surged with distress. The sound of slow, careful steps brought her grandfather to the doorway. "Mama, please. Grandpa was attacked by a demon mask that set fire to the shed. It put him in hospital! How can you accept Inuyasha but not remember?"
"Little girls imagine things!"
"I didn't imagine Inuyasha; he was real! I drew pictures of him as a child. I shared them with you."
"Kagome!" Grandpa cleared his throat. "You should not raise your voice to your mother. Apologize." Despite her indignation, she bowed in repentance. Her mother smiled and forgave her easily while she returned to packing her anniversary dinner. She followed her grandfather into the back where he paused with his hands folded behind his back. Together they stared out at the shrine in the distance. In the fall lanterns would line the white paved concrete leading to the formal shrine. The memory of the possessed lanterns flying about made her shiver.
"Grandpa - "
"We replaced the lanterns that year. You were in such a state. I picked you up and carried you inside; the lanterns were broken on the concrete. I never could understand how you managed to reach them." The old man sighed and shook his head.
"They did chase me!"
Kagome and her grandfather went to the shed. The building contained numerous artifacts and valuables but it also contained random cast-offs from the main house. Souta's old crib was hidden behind boxes filled with ancient sleeping bags. Grandpa instructed her which marked boxes to set aside in their search. 'Family Memories' and 'Kagome's Babyhood' were opened carefully to avoid the dust. Souta arrived to join their investigation. Buyo stretched and meowed and claimed his place on the scrubbed wood. The cat made a lazy swipe for her socks. Toys, blankets, stuffed animals, grade cards, birthday cards and more were arranged in the bins. Souta turned his nose up at the robin's egg blue wool blanket that had once accompanied him in the floor. Grandpa searched less quickly; each picture was treasured. He chuckled happily at an unearthed photo of little Kagome holding baby Souta. Her treasured pink jumper was tidy despite the skewed bow on her head. She was standing in front of the Goshinboku.
Bows are cute on little kids. I should get some for Sango if she has a girl!
"Neat, a knife! Can I have it, Grandpa?" An antique folding knife was offered. The teenager complained when the monk reclaimed it. Kagome set aside childish watercolors and crayon drawings of unknown subjects. Grandpa hummed at dusty folders containing tax information from before she was born. The files made a considerable thud as they shook the floorboards. Kagome captured loose copies of voided checks before they could escape under a shelf.
"Who is Mizutani?"
"The name is familiar. Ah. The donor file. Mizutani contributes a sizable amount to our family each year. We have several others." All but the signature was printed from a cashier's station. Kagome flipped through the stack until she found the correct check number from the correct year. Three-seven-nine. The number of zeroes on the check made the amount sitting in her bank account look a pittance. Grandpa continued to ramble about the benefits of different tax shelters while she peered close at the signature.
Mizutani...Mizutani...
The thick, harsh shape of the handwritten signature was familiar. Mama had remarked about the largest check in their wedding stack presented to the bank. The single largest monetary gift was the one donation they could not thank with a card. There was no address on either check! The weight of the paper suggested wealth or even a corporation. Unlike the animal themed checks in her purse, the carbon copy in her hands was plain. Who has this much money to donate to a small shrine? Why not give the money to more famous shrines? How did they know I was getting married?
There was a distinctive crumple of old papers. Grandpa removed the giant clip to share the oldest of her childhood scribbles. Souta crowded close. Many of them seemed to have water damage but they were real. Scribbles of a big red thing with gray triangles covered the pages. Sometimes it was an actual dog with yellow sun eyes. Other drawings showed a stick-version of herself holding hands with the scarlet boy. Baby Kagome had drawn them obsessively. The number of little red hearts were disturbing.
"Is that Inuyasha?"
Monsters. Ghosts. Animals. They featured less prominently but through experience she could now name them. The possession of several toys from her toy chest returned furiously after studying a pencil drawing. Kagome trembled when she remember the glowing eyes of her dolls in the darkness. Dad had burst through the door when she screamed. After purifying the dead spirits from their cloth bodies they had fallen inanimate but she couldn't forgive them. They had been burned with the fallen leaves that very night. At least she had been allowed to join her parents in their room for the remainder of the evening where she felt safe.
"Your school thought you were crazy," Souta whistled. "The teacher recommended you for therapy due to emotional disturbance. Did you really tell them the principal was a faceless demon feeding on little kids?"
"He was!" Kagome snatched the memo from his fingers. The text clearly stated the case that she needed emotional assistance citing multiple unusual incidents with members of staff and other children including a story about the animation of a horse costume at the annual play. Saving Eri from the inhuman principal seemed to have been the last straw. The school had suggested that she was too young for preschool and needed to spend another year at home with her mother following a mandatory psychiatric evaluation.
Oh, Dad!
"Grandpa, the school called child services?"
"You were an imaginative little girl who missed her mother. Some children need to start school later than others. There is no shame in that." A comforting, wrinkled hand patted her shoulder. Kagome hugged her drawings to her chest. The wrinkle in Dad's forehead had been her fault! Monsters came to live in the vicinity of the Sacred Jewel, the Jewel she had carried in her body since birth. No wonder he feared Inuyasha awakening – another sleeping spirit that might have attacked her. As an adult she could understand. Miroku and Sango were already discussing ways to protect their baby from the dangers of their little house.
The shed door opened forcefully. Human Inuyasha scanned the dim interior until they met eyes.
"Inuyasha!"
"You promised there would be a special dinner! What is taking so long? Have you forgotten Sango needs to eat? Why are you staring?" The husband narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He stalked forward to investigate. It was embarrassing to surrender the collection of drawings. Picture after picture made him blink. Inuyasha pinned against the tree. Inuyasha holding her hand. Inuyasha holding flowers.
"So you could see me." Inuyasha picked up her photograph wearing the white shirt and pink jumper. "I knew your mother was sentimental. Is all this stuff yours? Thanks. Did you draw this one? It looks like a hannya mask. The wood can be possessed by the soul of a jealous woman. Nasty buggers."
"That was my principal!"
"Tsukumogami. Okiku," Inuyasha glared at her rendering of the possessed dolls. "You had one of those things? Some jerk leaves possessed toys at the foot of a shrine. A visiting child picks the thing up and takes it home. The house burns that night." Kagome explained the story to her brother and grandfather while Inuyasha identified more of the demons in her scribbles. Each time he named a separate entity, it eased her guilt for shaming her parents at preschool. There had been assaults on her childhood home! While her mother didn't understand, she was sure it had been embarrassing.
"You have seen all these creatures?"
"Dad saw them too. He knew about Inuyasha! What do you think, Grandpa?" Kagome ignored her curious younger brother to unfurl a dirty scroll. It looked out of place with the rest of her mementos. A child had scribbled with wax over the dark, serious ink. Grandpa recognized the old-fashioned script. His son had attended priest training at a young age per the family tradition. Souta rolled his eyes and fell backwards when the old man once again suggested Souta consider religious training over the next break rather than an athletic camp.
"Souta, can you go check on Mama? I might have upset her." As suspected, her little brother grabbed the chance to escape. Kagome fidgeted uncomfortably while Grandpa was lost in memories. It seemed especially sinful to ask her next question surrounded by her innocent baby blanket, pacifier and pictures. A tiny pair of white lace shoes dangled; the knot fit comfortably in the crease of Inuyasha's finger joint. The juxtaposition between his tanned, calloused hands and the frilly socks made her flush. Why did he need to sniff at them? What could they smell like?! Baka, you're human!
"Kagome was a very good baby; she hardly cried. We would spend hours looking into her eyes."
"What's with the tiny shoes? Can human babies walk?"
"Humans are not horses – we aren't born knowing how to walk. Baka." Kagome crossed her arms. Miroku heartily agreed with any gift that made Sango blush and stutter like a schoolgirl. The man had taken an immediate interest in the pamphlets from her doctor. The taijiya was too reserved to publicly discuss the baby – particularly in front of Inuyasha! Some latent effect of the warrior's code, she guessed. Her husband had retreated to minimal, polite conversation with their best friend. It was endearing how he avoided looking at her.
"I knew it. Humans are born helpless! What protection could these be?" Inuyasha scoffed. "They are not even leather! What's the point?" One finger slipped under the tongue of the cloth to make his case. It only swallowed the digit to the second joint. Kagome rolled her eyes. A brief fantasy of taking Inuyasha shopping for baby gifts dissolved in her mind's eye. Miroku might appreciate cute baby paraphernalia but her husband was more obstinate. Sango and Inuyasha are the practical spouses; we have to help them enjoy the moment. When Inuyasha opened his mouth to complain, she stopped him.
"Little shoes are cute. Babies are cute. That's the point," she exhaled. A framed photo sat atop the pile. A nurse must have taken the photo of her mother in the hospital. Equally exhausted and happy, her mother smiled at the camera. Inuyasha grumbled but let it slide. "Grandpa, doesn't our family has a history of monks and priests?"
"Absolutely. Ours is a proud heritage! There have been many Higurashi shrine keepers, scholars and monks. I have told her the stories many times, they never listen," Grandpa colluded with Inuyasha who nodded conspiratorially. Hey! I do listen! "I have already discussed the situation with my daughter-in-law. Souta will carry our lineage forward now that Kagome has left to start her own household. Tradition suggests that it should be the son anyway. He should have some training."
"You have schools for priests?"
"Grandpa, why don't you talk about the family shrine maidens? Surely there have been a few," Kagome interrupted. She refused to let them divert the conversation into a sad analysis of her failure as a holy power. It's ridiculous! I purified the Jewel. I can shoot Arrows of Purification! Her grandfather looked stunned. "I am a priestess. Was grandmother also a priestess?"
"You are married." The elder blushed. Inuyasha found a particularly interesting beam to study. His cheeks were also inflamed. "Shrine maidens do not marry or have children. Unfortunately family scrolls had a tendency to ignore them. They generally had no fortune or heirs."
"That's completely unfair!" Kagome sat back angrily while she stewed. Women who had spent their lives serving entire communities could be written out of history simply because they had not joined a man? Inuyasha flinched under her blistering glare. The conceit of the male ego! "Monks are supposed to swear an oath of celibacy but they can have children. Why should a woman not have the same choice?"
Kagome was still perturbed when they carried through the Well. Inuyasha was careful to avoid her furious gaze. Miroku, Sango, Rin and Kaede were waiting at the house when they proceeded inside. They marveled at the glorious smell emanating from the packages despite the late arrival. A round of sake was poured to celebrate a successful first month of marriage. Kagome drank her sip of sake but cut her eyes at Inuyasha. Men! Thankfully their happy group fell silent while the meal commenced. Her impatient spouse left little time between bites.
"Are you fighting?" Rin broke the silence.
Inuyasha paused; his chopsticks hung in the air. He glanced at her.
"I am mad at the patriarchal feudal system, not Inuyasha." Kagome sighed. To calm the suspicion from their friends, she patted Inuyasha's tense elbow. They still seemed confused but Rin returned her smile. The sunflower pendant swung happily. "My grandfather said that families that produced priestesses and other single women might leave their names off the family history – which is totally unfair! Being a single woman doesn't warrant being forgotten."
"Do many women in your era go unmarried, Kagome-chan?" Sango blinked.
"Ancestry scrolls can become cluttered if you follow every branch," a small voice interrupted. The obnoxious burp that followed resulted in a smack. The former taijiya held out her palm to glare at the elderly flea. "Forgive me, Sango. Your blood is quite rich! That delectable smell - "
"Didn't I warn you about being a pest, flea?"
"Even my grandfather discounts my spiritual powers because I married Inuyasha. I purified a shiro uneri in the laundry this evening! Souta doesn't want to be a priest like Grandpa. He wants to play professional soccer and karate chop burglars and kiss girls! But if my family lived in this era, and I was unmarried, they would record his name but not mine. No one expects Miroku to give up his spiritual powers to get married." Kagome speared a slice of eggplant with her chopsticks. "Miroku doesn't have to think about being a monk or a husband; the village accepts him as both. No one judges him!"
"I do," Inuyasha snorted. The monk pretended to take offense and refused to share the serving dish of egg drop soup. Kagome was almost guilt-stricken over her words until he winked. Her anger drained quickly and she apologized. The others launched into a larger discussion about families in the village. They saw no disparity in how history treated men and women. Inuyasha nudged her arm with his. The concern in those dark eyes lifted her spirits. A flash of memory made her remember the baby shoes in HIS hands. Suddenly she felt too embarrassed to meet his gaze; her heart sped.
"I know Jinenji! He gave me herbs to save Master Jaken once. Are you really going to visit him?" Rin's voice pierced her wandering thoughts. "May I go with you? I have not left the village in ages. Please, please?"
