The Lucky Ones
Chapter Nine
xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
The Lucky Ones
By Terri Botta
Disclaimer: I don’t own
Inuyasha. Sole copyright belongs to Viz and Rumiko Takashi. I’m poor so don’t
sue.
Rating: R for later chapters.
Pairing: Inuyashgomegome,
Miroku/Sango
Summary: Sometimes Fate hands
you a gift you never thought you’d ever get, and it’s up to you to accept it
for what it is.
Feedback to:
tci100@psu.edu
Website: http://www.wordsmiths.net/Botta
*******
Chapter Nine
Kagome held
Yukio close to her chest as they approached the house. Inuyasha,
feeling her distress but not really understanding it, stayed close to her as
they walked across the shrine grounds. Just as they were approaching the
doors, they slid open and Souta ran out, almost
hitting them.
“
in front of them.
“Nee-chan!
Inu-no-niichan!! Mama! Nee-chan’s
back and she’s brought Inu-no-niichan with her!!”
Kagone
gulped, knowing her mother would now be waiting for her inside.
spanspan>“
her little brother enthused, then he noticed that
something had moved in his sister’s arms, something with ears, and his eyes
narrowed. “What’s that? Did you bring a puppy with you?”
Kagome
blushed. “Ahh... no, Souta...
Weren’t you on your way out?” she said, trying to distract him.
“I was just
going to Yugi’s house. What have you got, Nee-
coming to the doors.
“Mama,” she
breathed, her heart catching in her throat.
Yukio took
that exact moment to let out a cry in response to her sudden fear. She saw her
mother’s eyes open wide and her face go pale. Kagome cringed, gripping Yukio
even tighter against her.
“Mama, I
can explain.”
“Kagome,
what have you done?” her mother demanded softly, disbelievingly.
Inuyasha
chose to make matters much much worse by saying
matter-of-factly, “Kagome’s mother, we have a pup now.”
If her
mother’s face could have gotten any paler, Kagome didn’t know, but she saw her
reach out to grip the edge of the door to keep herself
standing.
“Mama, it’s
not like that...”
“Come
inside, Kagome,” her mother interrupted in a voice that brooked no argument.
“Oh, nee-
said, edging away. “I’m gonna go to Yugi’s house now.
Bye!”
legs could carry him.
coward,’ Kagome thought, then steeled herself to
face her mother’s wrath.
Mama had
already gone into the house and was waiting for her in the kitchen. Inuyasha stayed
close to her as she took off her shoes and slowly walked to her fate. Yukio was
fussing and fretting, and not making the situation any better.
“Here, give
him to me,” Inuyasha offered. “The scent of your worry is just making him
worse.”
Reluctantly,
she handed the baby over and he settled into Inuyasha’s arms, quieting
somewhat.
They
entered the kitchen and Kagome waited, her eyes down,
for her mother to speak.
“You have
two minutes to explain yourself, Kagome.”
“He’s an
orphan. Both his parents are dead. His mother lived long enough to bring him to
Kaede’s village. He’s a hanyou like Inuyasha.
Inuyasha and I... we’ve adopted him,” she blurted.
The older
woman looked at her, then at Inuyasha. “So he’s not yours and he’s not
Inuyasha’s,” she said.
“No. He is
an inu-youkai hanyou like Inuyasha and looks just
like him, but Inuyasha is not his father,” Kagome replied honestly.
“I see.”
“We’ve
taken him in. His name is Yukio,” she added.
“Yukio,”
her mother repeated.
There was a
short silence, then her mother sighed. “Kagome, how do
you intend to care for this child?”
She looked
up at her mother, feeling some small measure of relief. “It’s not that hard.
Back in the Feudal Era, I have lots elp,elp, and Inuyasha hunts for me.” She
lowered her eyes, pensive. “It’s here that will be difficult. Back there, it’s
easy.”
“What do
you feed him?”
“I...”
“Kagome
makes milk for him!” Inuyasha answered brightly.
He said it
with such pride and enthusiasm, as it if were the most amazing thing that had
ever happened, but Kagome felt her whole world come crashing down around her at
sight of her mother’s face.
Kagome
blushed and cringed and Inuyasha gave her a confused look.
“But you
said he’s not yours,” her mother said, her voice dangerously soft.
“He isn’t!
night and try to get milk. A few days later, I started leaking milk.
baby nurse from her...”
“You let
the baby nurse from you when you didn’t have any milk?”
Kagome was
really starting to panic now. She could tell her mother was furious and she
didn’t know how to make it any better.
feed him his gruel, and I thought he was missing his mother so much and I
didn’t mind and after a while I...”
The woman
said it with such force that even Inuyasha jumped and put himself protectively
in front of Kagome.
“You are
going to a doctor,” her mother said coldly.
like Inuyasha. They’ll think he’s deformed!” she argued.
Beside her,
Inuyasha made a choked sound but she ignored him.
“I didn’t
say the baby was going to the doctor. I said YOU are going to the doctor. I
will make the appointment and take you.”
Kagome
blinked. “Why?...” she began, then stopped, her heart
growing cold. “You... you don’t believe me. You think I’m lying about Yukio...”
Her mother
turned a hard gaze to Inuyasha. “And you. You are no longer permitted to be
with my daughter unchaperoned, and you are forbidden
to sleep in her room.”
“Huh? What
the hell does that mean?”
“It means
we’re not allowed to be alone together anymore,” Kagome explained.
“Why? We
haven’t done anything wrong! And the pup...” Inuyasha argued, getting upset.
“As for the
baby, Kagome you will give him to me and I will watch him...”
“NO,” she
replied immediately. “No, I will not. I will go to the doctor with you and I
will make sure Inuyasha and I are not alone together,
but Yukio is mine and no one is taking him away from me.”
“Kagome...”
“I’ll leave
and never come back. I swear I will! I’ll go through the well and stay there on
the other side. Don’t think I won’t! Inuyasha would take me out of here in a
heartbeat and no one would be able to stop him,” she threatened, meaning every
word.
Her
mother’s eyes narrowed and Kagome could tell she was assessing her daughter’s
sincerity. She tried to put her conviction into her eyes and the stubborn set
of her jaw. Beside her, Inuyasha began to growl, deep and low in his throat,
and Yukio grew still and quiet, very very quiet.
Inuyasha passed him to her and put an arm around her waist. His body was tense,
ready to spring. All she had to do was say the word and he’d leap right through
the wall of the house if he had to, or blow a hole with Tessaiga.
Kaze no Kizu would waste
the entire building, but she knew he wouldn’t think twice about doing it if he
thought they were in danger.
It was a
tense stand-off and Kagome wondered who would give in first, then her mother
dropped her eyes and sighed.
voice almost a snarl.
“If this
child is detrimental to my daughter’s health, I will do everything in my power
to keep it from her,” the older woman replied. “Now I am going to call my
OB/GYN and see if I can get you an appointment for tomorrow.”
It was a
clear dismissal and Kagome took the opportunity to grab Inuyasha’s arm and back
him out of the room.
going to do?’
She was
close to tears and nauseous with upset, her hands shaking. Inuyasha was fuming,
his hands clenched into tight fists.
“
yours. And just when would you have carried and birthed him? We return to this
wretched place twice a moon, and even youkai
pregnancies last longer than that. Breeding bellies are hard to hide. She’s not
making any sense. And to make you feel so poorly and to threaten to take
Yukio...”
never see my mom like that, have you? Your only memories of her are of when she
is happy and pleased and helpful. You’ve never seen her when she’s mad. I’m
sorry, Inuyasha. I should have warned you,’
“Don’t
worry, Inuyasha. If it comes to it, we’ll leave and not come back. I meant what
I said,” she assured. ‘I’m not giving up
my baby.’
“You’d...
you’d really sacrifice your life here to keep the pup?” he asked,
his voice soft and laced with wonder.
She looked
sharply at him and saw the open, touched look on his face. ‘What is this? He’s been like this ever since my milk came in...’
“Absolutely,”
she replied with conviction. “No one is taking Yukio away from me.”
If anything
his face softened even more and she swore his eyes grew watery, but he looked
away too fast. Boldly, she took his hand, feeling the rough callused palm close
tentatively over her own.
“No one is
taking the pup away from us,” she amended.
He met her
gaze, his eyes as serious and determined as hers, and nodded once. Yukio
fussed, drawing their attention and Inuyasha crinkled his nose.
“He’s
dirty.”
Kagome
nodded. “And I should feed him as well. C’mon.”
Knowing
that there would be Hell to pay if she tried to go up to her room, she went
into the living room instead. She lowered herself down to sit on one of the
floor cushions and Inuyasha draped his haori over her
shoulders the way he always did when she was about to nurse the baby. He sat
next to her, putting himself into a protective position against anyone or
anything that might come through the doors.
As she
reached for her bag to get a clean diaper, movement from the side caught her
attention and she looked up to see her grandfather sitting on the other side of
the room. The look on his face told her that he had heard everything she and
her mother had argued about.
exposed, she lowered her gaze and returned to what she was doing, her hands
trembling.
the floor on his spread out blanket and took off his soiled diaper. She could
tell he was watching her intently, following her movements as she wiped the
baby clean and dried his tender skin. When she turned to pick up the clean
diaper, she saw him stretch out a hand to touch the baby. Her first instinct
was to slap it away, grab Yukio and run, but oddly, Inuyasha placed a gentle
hand on her wrist. She looked at him and saw that he and her grandfather were
staring at each other.
After a few
tense moments, Inuyasha gave a very small nod and Jii-chan
picked Yukio up. He was still naked and Kagome wanted to warn her grandfather
that the baby might soil him, but the look on the man’s face stopped her. He
was looking to the infant’s eyes, holding him lightly under the arms with his
wrinkled, wizened hands. Yukio, to his credit, didn’t fuss, but looked up at
the man who held him and raised a grasping hand.
opened them again. He placed Yukio in his lap, reached up and pulled the charm
he had around heck eck over his head. He used the knots on the cord to shorten
its length, ignoring the baby that grabbed at the stone and batted it with
clawed hands, then he gently slipped it over Yukio’s head,
letting it rest on his small chest. Yukio looked at it and played with it, then
stuck it in his mouth. Jii-chan gently pulled it out,
running one finger over the baby’s lips, before placing a hand on Yukio’s
forehead and making a small prayer.
“
recognizing the blessing.
“Forgive
your mother for behaving badly. She is very worried about you,” he told her as
he gently placed Yukio back on his blanket.
“
replied, quickly putting on the clean diaper and wrapping him back up.
clothes for him while I was here, and maybe a new
carrier but...’
She picked
him up, tucking him under the haori, preparing to
feed him. He knew what was coming and started to gurgle happily as she lifted
her shirt and raised him to her breast. He found the nipple on his own without
any prompting, and she sighed with relief at the feel of him nursing, the
tension running out of heruldeulders and back. Inuyasha came close and put an
arm around her, and she relaxed in his loose embrace. This was normal. This was
her world: Yukio and Inuyasha’s arms.
the baby. There’s something there.
It comes into his eyes when he sees me with Yukio. Whatever it is, it softens
him and brings out his tender side. Yukio has brought us so much closer
together.’
Yukio
brought out her tender side too. She was gentler with Inuyasha, more patient
and tolerant. She hadn’t ‘sat’ him in three days- not since the morning her
milk came in and they’d had that awful fight over the liver. Speaking of
liver...
“Where’s
the liver?”
“It needs
to be put in the refrigerator... the cold box in the kitchen.”
“Ok.”
He didn’t
move and she was content to let him stay there. Another twenty minutes wouldn’t
make a difference. A few moments later a shadow fell over them and Inuyasha
tensed. She looked up to see her mother standing in the doorway with an
unreadable expression on her face as she watched her nurse the baby.
“Your
appointment is for eleven ‘o clock tomorrow morning. We’ll leave here around
ten to get there on time,” her mother told her, her voice neutral.
Kagome
nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. “Hai,
Mama.”
“Mama. I would speak with you,” he said quietly,
walking over to her.
“Hey old
man,” Inuyasha interrupted. “Could you take the two pots of liver from Kagome’s
bag and put them in the cold box?”
“Of
course,” Jii-chan replied.
Moving
without dislodging Yukio, Kagome retrieved the two clay jars full of liver and
gave them to her grandfather with a word of thanks. He gave Kagome a reassuring
smile and led her mother away.
left us alone, so I’m not going to worry about it,’
“At least
the old man has brains,” Inuyasha commented.
She gave a
small grunt in acknowledgement but otherwise kept quiet. Yukio made his ‘next
please’ noise and she switched him, giving his bottom a pat as she did so. He
snuffled and latched on to her breast, sucking noisily.
eater, but he never spills a drop.’
A
particularly hard suck made her wince a little. ‘Never leaves a drop either. Little pig.’
“Hegrowgrowing,” she said, just for something to say.
fast.”
She nodded,
remembering how much Shippo had grown over the last
two years.
“He’ll be
walking by the end of summer, I’d bet. Maybe talking too,” Inuyasha predicted.
she replied.
“When will
he begin to teethe?”
“I’m not
sure. Soon though. Another couple of
on solid food before he cut teeth, but if he is going to start growing them
that soon…”
“If he
bites you, scruff him, but I think he’s learned his lesson there,” he said with
a hint of amusement.
“Yeah, he
learned that quick.”
Inuyasha
chuckled. “Must take after his mother,” he teased lightly. “I’m just the stupid
hanyou.”
“Don’t say
that. I know you’re one of the smart ones. You try to hide it, but I know.
You’re a lot smarter than you let on,” she replied, unhappy that he’d put
himself down.
“Humans
don’t expect animals to be intelligent. My human grandfather told my mother I’d
never learn to read and not to bother trying to teach me, but she didn’t listen
to him, and I learned pretty fast.”
“I remember
when you stole my maths study guide,” she recalled
fondly. “I was so mad at you.”
“Now
I couldn’t read; all those weird signs and symbols.”
She
snickered. “That’s okay. I couldn’t read it either.”
“You’ve
often said that math is hard for you.”
She nodded.
“The higher math, yes. Algebra, geometry, calculus…”
She gave
him a fond look. “Math with weird signs and symbols.”
He snorted.
“Dunno what you need it for. If you can add and subtract, it should be enough.
“Then why
bother with it at all? Isn’t it a waste of time then?”
She sighed
but did not get angry. Inuyasha had never really understood the importance of
her school work.
“Because in
this time education is very important, and if I want to pass my tests and do
well, I have to learn the things they want.”
Yukio made
his ‘all gone’ noise and she drew him from underneath the haori,
pulling down her shirt to cover her breast again. She’d stopped wearing her
bras because they’d gotten too small for her lactating breasts. New bras were
on her list of necessary supplies to get while she was in the modern era.
Gently, she draped him across her shoulder and burped him, giving him an extra
cuddle once he’d belched.
“You’ll
teach him, right?” Inuyasha asked her suddenly, reaching over to rub the pup’s
ears. “You’ll teach him all your learning from all
your books?”
She looked
at him and smiled. “Of course.” ‘He’s not even considering the possibility that we might not be
together to see him grow up. I wonder what that means.’
He gave her
a pleased smile. “Good.”
She yawned.
It was too much to think about: her mother, the doctor, Yukio growing up, her
and Inuyasha’s future, her tests… oh yeah, the tests she hadn’t studied for.
Her head hurt.
“I’m
tired,” she sighed.
“Then you
should sleep.”
She shook
her head. “I don’t want to be alone.”
Inuyasha
looked around, then pulled them both with him as he
moved to the wall, placing his back against it and drawing her into his arms.
They assumed the familiar sleeping position they adopted when resting this way
and curled together. She tucked Yukio against her chest and snuggled him under
the haori that was now draped over both of them like
a blanket. Inuyasha nuzzled her hair then rested his chin on top of her head.
She fell asleep feeling warm and safe.
a quiet affair full of tension and unspoken words. Kagome refused to look at
her mother, and Inuyasha made sure that he was seated in the most protective
position possible, with Kagome closest to the door. She had Yukio around her
chest in his sling and he was sleeping quietly after having just been fed. Poor
Souta tried to start conversations to lighten the
mood, but none of his cheerful anecdotes worked, and he finally gave up. After
dinner he went up to his room to study.
In keeping
with the new rules, Kagome chose to study in the kitchen with the shoji open so
anyone could see that she and Inuyasha were doing nothing more risqué than
sitting at the table. He kept hold of Yukio, entertaining him when he wanted
attention and giving him to her for feeding and changing when necessary until
she closed her books and said she was headed up to bed. She changed and fed
Yukio once more before talking him into her bedroom. Inuyasha gave her a sad,
longing look that broke her heart, and she gave him a little nuzzle and a
comforting stroke on his cheek before closing the door on him, leaving him in
the hall. He sat with his back to her bedroom door,
Kagome
found sleep elusive for her as well, the lack of Inuyasha’s comforting presence
making it hard for her to relax. Knowing he was right outside her door helped a
little, but even Yukio was fussy without the scent of his adoptive father
nearby. Still, she knew she should at least try to get some sleep. Tomorrow she
was going to the doctor.