just love me

“Inumaru?” Kikyo asked tentatively. The boy’s tearfilled gold eyes flicked to her. Kikyo gestured at the soul collectors to put him down. They lowered him gently and slowly to the ground as to not jostle the shattered wrist. Inumaru just slumped to the ground, his bangs hiding his eyes. Kikyo walked over the boy slowly then knelt by him. His was sobbing silently, the tears coursing down his tanned cheeks. “Inumaru, look at me.” Kikyo said softly. Inumaru looked up,” kikyo, what’s wrong with me?”.

“nothing is wrong with you and you know that.”

“that’s not true! There must be something wrong. That’s why mommy doesn’t want me and all the demons want to eat me.” Inumaru said softly, hiccupping slightly through his tears.

“Demons want to eat you because they have nothing else to do. Isako loves you Inumaru.” Kikyo sat down by him, watching as Naraku’s incarnation’s ashes floated up in the air.

“No, she doesn’t. Otherwise she would want me.” Inumaru’s voice grew quieter. Kikyo was startled, she didn’t like the prematurity in the boy’s voice. He was growing too fast. He was only six.

“ Inumaru, do you know the circumstances of your birth?” Kikyo hated doing this, but it needed to be done. Inumaru shook his head and dug his wet face into her sleeve, “ your mother was taken forcefully by a demon. It was against her will and she broke as a result.”

“So, it’s my fault?” Inumaru looked up at her

“NO! It never was, it never will be,” Kikyo spoke sharply, “Inumaru, you must understand this. It was the demon’s fault. Not yours, not Isako’s. Isako loves you but the pain clouds that. Do you realize how much you look like your father?”

“I don’t want to if he hurt mommy.” Inumaru had now clambered in between Kikyo’s legs and rested against her stomach. She bandaged his wrist gently and the boy grabbed her sleeve roughly with every twinge of pain.

“Now that I think of it, it’s not his fault either. He was in what demon’s call heat. He doesn’t know any better. He knows nothing but his lust and the need to quench it. But you see Inumaru, you look so much like him that Isako always remembers her pain. She still loves you though and you must understand that. And there is another reason she had to send you away.”

“what kikyo?” she had now bandaged his wrist and was tending to his other various scrapes and cuts.

“you know the lord of this region that I always warned you about? If he found out that your mother was with another man he would kill you, her and Shinko. She did this to save you Inumaru.”

“really?” Inumaru dried his eyes on his sleeve and looked up at her

“And besides, you won’t be alone. You’re coming with me. I promised Isako that I would take care of you.” Kikyo looked down and held her breath, hoping that the boy’s reaction wouldn’t be negative. Therefore, she was surprised when the hanyou tackled her.
“Really Kikyo? So you don’t hate me either?” The boy looked at her and Kikyo smiled sadly at the pure adoration and love in the his large golden eyes, knowing that she didn’t deserve it.