Kagome was not surprised by Inuyasha's hesitation but his reasoning was strange. She pinned him down on their futon in the predawn until he confessed. He fumed but stripped out of the Robe and his shirt. He was careful not to snag her hair when his palm cupped the side of her head. Her heart beat in her throat when they rolled. The scent of him combined with the familiar weight pressing down on her hips brought her home. Her blunt fingernails gripped onto the hard edges of his shoulders to encourage what he was doing until she was overwhelmed. It didn't matter that she was going to be late to her spiritual training, she needed him, and he needed her.
The skin of Inuyasha's chest was especially warm in contrast to the chill of the early morning. Outside, the birds were just beginning to chirp in search of their breakfast. She closed her eyes to focus on the lub-dub of his abnormally slow heart while he drew figure eights on her skin. It took tremendous effort to reach for her kimono. Before she could get up, Inuyasha stopped her.
"Stay where it's warm, I can get the fire started. Your feet are not supposed to get cold, right?"
"That you know, but you thought you could make me have more babies?!" Inuyasha tossed the Robe in her face to hide his embarrassment. She occupied his warm spot on the futon while he went outside to get wood. By the time she had absorbed the leftover warmth from the bedding, there was light bleeding through the screen from the irori. She slipped on a pair of uwabaki brought from the modern era. She took a moment to rest her palm on her stomach to reassure herself that the little spirit was still there.
Good morning, Baby.
Her mood was excellent by the time she arrived at the base of the Goshinboku where Miroku was already praying. The handsome young monk was already in a perfect meditative pose but she noticed the dark circles under his eyes. Eventually he cracked an eye to smile and bid her a good morning. She had a moment of extreme fondness for her sleep-deprived friend for waking up early to further her education.
I should make my friends a special lunch.
Miroku quieted her enthusiasm when she asked about the morning's program. Instead she joined him in quiet contemplation, no matter how boring. He sighed when she noted her fidgeting and paying attention to the courting birds instead.
"Is there something you would rather discuss instead, Kagome-sama?"
"Can you teach me to raise write sutra or cast wide barriers like Kikyo or banish spirits like the cursed bear pelt?"
"It would be best to first achieve the ability to meditate and learn to put aside your troubles to achieve – whatever are you doing?" Miroku smiled as she withdrew supplies from her basket. Horse-hair brush and ink in a well and thick paper from her grandfather's shop for writing prayers. Sutra were highly effective against spirit-kind where Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga could not cut. I have to protect my family from spirits. Sesshomaru will not always be around to banish ghosts to the other world! She listened to Miroku's explanation of the different types of sutra he sold to various businessmen for general health and wealth contrary to the serious prayers of banishment to assuage demonic entities depending on their motivation. Some spirits could ascend to the other world if their troubles were lessened, like the snow-woman, while others could not be reasoned with under any conditions.
"You must meditate intensely on the meaning of the characters to give it power - "
"Like this?" Kagome showed him her draft. The black mark on the page left him dumbstruck. Panic struck her that she might have offended her teacher while he rubbed his forehead. Silly Kagome, you should wait for him to finish his sentence! It is rude to interrupt Miroku-sama while he is lecturing.
"Did you intend to create the ensō?"
"I just made the first thing I pictured."
"You are a mysterious creature, Kagome-sama." Miroku rubbed the crease between his eyes. "The ensō is a symbol of enlightenment and strength and it is the 'first' symbol your mind conjured unprompted?" She turned her palms upwards when he questioned the likelihood. He used his calm voice to help her drift into a meditative state, which was not hard given her exhaustion, until she could follow each random thought in her minds' eye. She could see the ensō moving and gyrating until the blank ink mark turned golden with energy. It twisted and rotated on its axis until the form began to change, taking a new shape of spinning intersecting rings. The edges unfurled and the center rose from its depth. Miroku pushed a brush into her hand. Reiki danced on her fingers. When the ink touched the page it turned colors until gold saturated the parchment. The ink swirled until the ensō became a vibrant flower worthy of any museum's nature gallery.
"Am I doing that?"
Miroku guided her hand to a fresh piece of parchment. It happened again. Kagome covered her belly with her palms. Could the baby be affecting my reiki? I have never been an artist like Sara or Souta. Her friend studied her work while she watched the sun come through the branches of the Goshinboku. Yellow and orange light reminded her of the playful Uzume. Her mind wandered past the memories she had made since and their battle against the Star God.
"A curious marriage! The little star-breaker and her sky hound. Your powers do not wane."
Sara was waiting outside the classroom for her when she arrived. Her friend could hardly believe she got mono from a glass at a party! A sheaf of paper worthy of a supplies box landed on her arms full of detailed illustrations of human anatomy complete with Post-Its. In return she promised her husband's help to move into her new apartment on the fourth story.
"Do you want to go to WacDonalds after school and get some food? We could come back to the library to help you study. Ooh, my brain hurts." Sara sank into her desk. "You have missed so many practicals! I will help you catch up." Kagome said a quick prayer of thanks for her friend willing to help her while the sensei took attendance and welcomed her back. The next few hours passed in a blur while the lecture covered material from chapters in the middle of the textbook until she practically wanted to cry from stress. Why did Hou Yi have to kidnap me? I'll never catch up from being a month behind. Now I have to start preparing for a baby and I have to get control of my powers before another demon attacks. How?
Kagome took a moment at the end of the day to hide in a bathroom stall for a quick stress cry. She stifled herself when she heard others entering the room. It wasn't until she heard a soft knock on the stall that she peeped through.
"In-Inuyasha?" She opened the door. Her husband didn't react to her tears but shouldered her backpack. People in the hall laughed at his old-fashioned clothing, assuming they were cosplayers. He had brought her clothes from the Feudal Era to wear to the orphanage. Sara went with them to meet up with her grandfather at the local mart for a quick dinner. Inuyasha braved a woman's public toilet for me! He blinked when she hugged him fondly and called him her hero.
"G-glad you noticed," he managed. "Keh."
Kajahara was the caretaker of the orphanage but she was far less superstitious about the evening disturbances than the old groundskeeper, Sadakata. Kagome trailed behind her grandfather who had insisted on joining their team 'as their spiritual elder' to the institution that took in children with no other home. Inuyasha made sure his wife was safe in the lantern-lit garden before following a couple of the children upstairs where they claimed the monsters lived.
"What kind of monsters?"
"At night we can hear them in the ceiling. We call it Scratchy," a girl said. "It waits until we are almost asleep then scratch-scratch. Scratch-scratch-scatch. Sometimes when we wake up the windows are open but the matron doesn't believe us. She punishes us for sleeping in the same room but it's the only way to protect the littler kids." The kids showed him where to lower the ladder for the attic. He climbed into the narrow space. The scent of Rat immediately filled his nose.
A kyūso?
Sure enough, he found a nest of stolen school papers and litter in a corner behind a false panel. The idea of a weak-ass youkai preying on vulnerable kids aggravated him. Despite the dust and the cobwebs the attic provided a great vantage point of the surrounding buildings. Inuyasha crawled on his hands and knees through the filthy had been peeled off so the creep could spy on the kids in the upper bedrooms while they slept. Kyūso typically fed on small predators like cats but any creature would suffice in a pinch. They were just lucky the thing wasn't powerful enough yet to attack. He suspected it was using the wires connected between the buildings to navigate from one shelter to another. Where the hell are you hiding?
Kagome politely disconnected from Sadakata to stand between the hedges with him. She clapped her hands together in order to search for the malevolent aura of the demon rat. The girl pursed her lips and wrinkled her nose. The kids peering down worriedly from the second-story windows worried him. He gave her grandfather the task of moving the kids down to the main room, away from the rat's tunnels, where they would be safer together. A kyūso was by nature a coward who rarely attacked humans in groups.
"It is the easiest way to draw it out. You didn't mind with Chokyūkai! I can handle a stupid rat, Inuyasha."
"You are not letting yourself be bait!" Inuyasha gripped her shoulders to make sure she was paying attention. His stubborn partner stared back. "You can't keep putting yourself at risk. If that rat senses you, you could get hurt. Think, stupid."
"I am a helluva lot more capable than these children – heeeey!" Kagome protested to being carried like an old woman but he ignored her. The damn girl is so selfless and brave she thinks she's invincible. He had too many memories of the girl being thrown to the ground in battles, or being washed downriver with Hojo, or kidnapped by a surprisingly tricky jerk. The children tugging on his coat and hair as he walked through the hall solidified his resolve. She dared him to lock her in the kitchen pantry. As soon as he turned away from the doors she cursed him to the ground.
"KAG-O-ME!"
"Open this door!"
"No!"
"Sit sit sit!"
Inuyasha was racked with pain. He groaned through his bangs to realize her grandfather had entered the kitchen. The force of Kagome's command dragging him down had loosened pots and pans, so the old man took a few minutes to straighten up.
"Inuyasha, you jerk!" Kagome rattled the doors but they were barred by a steel bar bent around the handles. The sound of her tears almost broke him. It was a decently-sized pantry full of food and water where she was safe! Grandpa sighed.
"Why is my granddaughter in the closet?"
"She wants to use herself as bait for the kyūso, she never listens! It's not safe." Inuyasha finally managed an upright sitting position. He cracked his shoulders but they were already tense. Fuck, my back is going to be messed up tomorrow. Dammit, Kagome. The old man's eyes shifted between him and the rattling closet doors. He wanted the human's trust. "L-look at the picture. See? She's with child." There was only silence while he reviewed the fuzzy gray image that was somehow the baby inside Kagome. Grandpa clung to the counter.
"Does her mother know?"
"Y-yeah." Inuyasha kept his chin high while he waited for judgment.
"Kagome dear, you need to stay in the closet. C'mon, son. A kyūso you say?" Grandpa idly returned the picture. It took a moment to work the kinks out of his spine before he chased after the monk. Relief seared through his chest. Grandpa took my side over Kagome's? There were no curses laid on his head. The old man was stupefied, not horrified. Kagome isn't going to be banished from her family because of me.
"When?"
"Kagome said late spring." Inuyasha kept an eye out for the rat while they walked the hall. The elder was in good shape but he couldn't run freely like his friends. Grandpa paused to place several sutra on the supporting walls of the structure while they wandered. Kagome's grandfather certainly didn't have her power but the sutra raised the hairs on his head. As silly as his gifts were there was a lingering spark in the patriarch.
"It would have been better to leave Kagome at home. She is a good girl and an excellent student but she has never had much talent for our religious life. Hopefully Souta will go to camp next summer. Just stay behind me, we should be safe." Grandpa cleared his throat. Inuyasha rolled his eyes. He settled for searching for the rat's scent on his hands and knees while the human began to monologue about grandchildren and the cost of educating them and responsibility. The fine layer of dust on the wood floors had absorbed the oils from the children's feet but the overlying taint of rat led him to a gap outside.
"Ah, the sewer. That would be a fine place for a rat to hide. How should we flush it out?"
"There are tunnels underneath this orphanage?"
"Of course, how else would we manage?" Inuyasha leaned against the outer wall while the old man sent the keeper back and forth to gather supplies. He squatted down to investigate the little mechanical device being put together. "It has been a while since I've had to chase the enemy out, but once a soldier always a soldier! I remember how to build stink bombs from the old days. Wrap this around your face, son. Mind your step."
Inuyasha ducked behind the wooden door with the damp shawl bound across his face while Grandpa rolled the device into the sewer. There was clattering and a little beep before smoke billowed out of the gape into the open air. He immediately sensed a demonic aura as something clawed its way to the surface through the dirt. It was small but the shadowy rat had abnormal red eyes and large teeth. It hissed when it noticed their interest but the sutra were powerful enough to prevent reentry into the orphanage. He went left when the rat went right but he caught up to it in the street. Tetsusaiga impaled the kyūso through its back into the concrete. It hissed before dissolving into nothing.
"Atta boy," Grandpa dusted off his blue hakama. "Perhaps you could go to the camp with Souta!"
"Yeah, that'll happen!" Inuyasha crossed his arms...but there was pride in the old man's eyes. He turned his chin. A weak rat demon was certainly nothing to be proud of but the kids would sleep in a safe environment. The caretaker mentioned that many years ago, one of the orphans had kept a rat, but had abused it. An abused pet living in the dark long enough to become a demon spirit? Wouldn't be the first time.
"Baka!" Kagome crossed her arms.
"Your grandfather wants your help warding the house with sutra. He said you might learn a thing or two. Whaddya say?" He held out the stack of generic charms. Blazing blue eyes regarded him before snatching them from his grip. He waited outside while his wife applied protection spells throughout the building. Kajahara allowed the children to say goodbye to him in the garden. Reiki nearly singed him when he leaned against the gate. An invisible protective dome formed over the orphanage to prevent anyone with demonic heritage entering unbidden. His wife paused for a moment to say goodbye to the children. When he reached for her hand she defensively brushed her shoulder against him.
"Kagome…"
"We'll talk about it at home!"
Inuyasha turned to follow his wife into the street when he felt hands on his sleeves. It was the girl who had told him about 'Scratchy'.
"Thank you, Mister. We'll never forget you! Maybe you could come back to visit sometime?"
"Maybe. Hey." Inuyasha stopped Grandpa from following his angry relation. The old man passed over a little communications card with the number for the telephone in the Higurashi kitchen. "If you guys need anymore help, you can call on the telephone yeah? We live just down the road if another monster tries to move in. Ask for Inuyasha or Kagome."
"Yes, Inuyasha!"
After tousling the kid's hair he joined the old man on the street. His wife barely stopped at the crosswalk when the light changed to red. As adorable as she could be in a mood, he feared he would be sleeping on the roof. What was I supposed to do? Kagome has to learn to prioritize her own safety.
Souta was the only member of the Higurashi family surprised by Kagome's attitude at the dinner table. She stomped upstairs after dinner...abandoning him to the knowing eyes of her mother and grandfather. He ended up in the yard listening to Souta talk about the 'hot' new neighbor with the giant breasts who liked to get the mail in her sleeping clothes. NO he didn't want to see any pictures. Kagome was in her room 'power-studying' for tomorrow's makeup exam. Occasionally she would stop to call Sara for context about the material. It was hard to curb his irritation until he remembered the weeks of terror chasing Hou Yi and Baby's first picture.
"Why are you so mopey? Are you having a big fight with my sister? I heard you locked her in a closet...big mistake! Kagome can hold a grudge forever." Souta kicked the ball in his direction; he planted his foot on it. "Talk about being in the doghouse!"
The mother and the grandfather know...it's only a matter of time until Souta figures it out.
"Sit, kid. We need to talk man-to-man." The teenager joined him on the stone steps twirling the ball in his hands. The raised eyebrows betrayed that he knew something was different. Kagome had wanted to wait but he hated secrets. How could they protect her if they didn't know what she needed? They sat in quiet for a while watching Buyo scratch himself on every available surface. The feline was too damned lazy to chase after a bird that landed directly in his path, he just watched the wings twitch and the head bob with interest. Souta eyed him while he built up the courage.
"You're going through the Well and never coming back, aren't you?"
"No, no. Ah...you see...While we were gone, Kagome found out that she's in the family way."
"Huh?"
"It means a baby, dumbass." He hid his face waiting for the kid's brain to process the news. It was hard for him to consider. They were just adjusting to living together in their own house! He liked their quiet evenings playing cards and talking while it poured down rain outside. There was nothing better than naked mornings wrapped up with a happy wife! What if the roof couldn't support the weight of winter snow? What if another bastard infiltrated their home while he was distracted? Movement startled him. Souta closed the door behind him without a word. He winced. The kid reached the stairs in record time, he could tell when the kid stepped on the middle step with its distinctive squeak. Kagome's door opened.
"Get out of my room, Souta!"
"Does Mom know you're pregnant?"
Inuyasha easily made his way to the roof to eavesdrop. He heard Kagome slam her pen hard against her little desk. The chair squeaked when she swiveled. There was palpable tension in the air between the siblings. Kagome evoked his name to insult his inability to think before he spoke.
"Mom knows."
"Inuyasha and Grandpa locked you in a closet? That was mean. Are you okay?"
It was strange feeling proud of his little brother when he sorta had the sense that the kid wanted to beat the shit out of him. The image made him smile. The little boy he'd trained to fight a stump with fake claws was feeling protective of his big sister. The chair squeaked before silence.
"Inuyasha was trying to protect me."
"The jerk locked you in a closet!"
The roof was comfortable enough above Kagome's window. The cross-flow of air was good and confirmed the status of all the residents of the Higurashi household. He watched the stars while listening to the siblings catch-up. Sometimes the lights moved and he realized they were human flying birds instead of stationary stars. At least Kagome had lost the edge on her anger towards him. Maybe she'll let me into our bed tonight.
"He told Grandpa?"
"After we totally agreed to wait!"
It was harder to see the stars in Kagome's era because of the lights from the city. The Higurashi Shrine felt like it was from another era among all the metal boxes of the city. Even at this late hour humans were driving about in their noxious metal demons without fear of the dark.
"Don't you want to have the baby here? It would kill Mom to miss her first grandchild. What about school? It's too much, Sis!"
"I want to be a nurse!"
"It killed you in middle school jumping back-and-forth. Face it - you're drowning! Why not take a year off and go back later? You should be resting instead of pulling all-nighters! Move back here and get an apartment and Mom can help with the baby."
"We have a house and a life, Souta. People are counting on me. We can't live here!"
"Exactly, stupid. Your baby is counting on you! I think that gives you the right to be selfish." Souta spoke confidently. Kagome's silence meant she was listening. I always tell her to worry about herself, does she listen? But she'll listen to a teenager? He massaged his eyes with the heels of his hands in exhaustion. It would simplify Kagome's life if she could bear to be more self-indulgent. It would be great if Kagome's mom could teach her stuff. All he remembered from his own mother was her love and kindness and patience with his wild ways. It was hard to imagine what advice she would give him as an adult, given her early death. There were so many lessons he had been forced to learn the hard way! It made him doubly grateful for the wonderful woman pattering around the kitchen finishing the days errands with a little song in her throat.
Kagome is young. Some lessons you only learn from your mother.
"What are these? You're not studying anyway! Why are you drawing all these circles? Circle, circle, circle - "
"Those are part of my spiritual training you brat. It's an ancient elegant symbol! Not that YOU would understand. The simplicity of the mark is representative of nature and creation of life from the void in the strive towards perfection."
"Did Grandpa give you homework?"
"Ugh!"
Inuyasha lingered on the roof waaay past Souta's exit from the bedroom. The light was still on when he dropped down from the roof to perch outside. Kagome was hunched over her desk with a brush in her hand. The hairs dipped in the ink. Her wrist moved with a flourish to draw a circle on the paper. The ink waited a moment before inverting colors to become gold. Black swirled on the page until it became gold.
What the hell?
Kagome barely paused before reaching for another sheet. Inuyasha slipped his fingers under the window to push it open. Another swirly mark filled the page. The girl set down the brush but he realized what Souta meant. There were dozens of the little things on her desk in different forms. Sharp, smooth, big, small, interlocking -
"It's called the ensō. I can't stop." Kagome covered her face. He dropped down onto the carpet. The first step was pulling her stiff legs out of the chair. He gathered the sheets into a pile and stuffed them into the big drawer. The normally tidy desk was a mess. He did his best to push all her books into a stack. It didn't take much convincing to strip her out of her sweaty clothes into a fresh stack of cute pajamas.
"Inuyasha - "
"I know, water." The kitchen was dark and empty when he pulled a fresh pitcher of water from the cold box. Her posture relaxed after he curled behind the 'bed-hog' dominating the pillows. There was a momentary scuffle until the stubborn girl scooted over. "Oi, selfish wench."
"You should be kind to your wife."
"Yeah, well." The shape of the puppies and kittens on her pajamas was too dark for her human eyes but his vision enabled him to trace the cloth on her shoulders. It amazed him that despite everything she had encountered, her core innocence remained. Not even Naraku could darken her heart. I still can't believe the bastard tried to poison Kagome against me. I would never have betrayed her for Kikyo's sake. That's what made it so hard.
"That tickles."
Inuyasha took the hint; his palm settled on her hip. He took a last auditory survey of the house before closing his eyes. Buyo was meowing distractedly to himself in the kitchen while he played with something vaguely metallic that clattered. The old man was dead asleep from the day's activities. Souta was listening to music through those ear-phones given to him on his birthday. Higurashi was mumbling to herself in her sleep.
