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Spring is rainy and wet and such a nice change from winter, which was cold and wet, that Kagome opens the shutters and lets the cool air flow through the house. She goes room to room shaking out the clothing, hanging the bedding, and other general tidying.
Her mother would have spent the day deep cleaning the entire house; in the feudal era, Kagome didn’t have the same resources. Running water and electricity went a long way while cleaning. A true spring clean will have to wait until it's sunny outside and she can mop the floors and air out the futons fully.
A fire roars in the stone hearth. It’s higher than tradition or even history would have them. But Kagome can’t bring herself to fully conform to the feudal era’s way of doing things. One strange woman won’t make or break history, but she misses indoor plumbing like a limb.
She has a kettle sitting off the heat and cooling slightly before making herself some tea. Sango brought her a new blend of tea to sample and Kagome was ecstatic. The scent alone is enticing; fruity with a floral undertone. Possibly peach or orange mixed with an oolong blend. Bless the friends who bring gifts when they return from travels.
Just one last blanket to fold and her cleaning is done and she can sit down and enjoy her tea and the rain in peace. She does have a book she’s been itching to dive into as well. The Tale of Genji , sits upon a chest in her room waiting for her to pick it up. Miroku and Inuyasha, after a mission to help a neighboring village, brought home two chests of books. Kagome has been steadily working her way through the novels over the winter.
“I really wish you would spruce up the place.” Teruo said from the doorway.
Kagome starts and drops the blanket she’s folding. “And I really wish you would learn to knock!”
“Alas it seems we shall both be left disappointed.” Rain bows around him in a slight arc as if he has a shield of wind keeping him dry.
Kagome growls and mutters under her breath about fathers and minding their own business.
“If I did that then how would you get your gift?”
“Gift?” Kagome swipes the blanket off the floor and folds it over her arm before asking warily, “What kind of gift?”
He takes off his shoes and steps fully inside, “The good kind.”
“That’s what you said about the scrying ball but then it hatched and tried to eat the children.”
“How was I to know that you’d leave it uncovered under the light of the last quarter moon of autumn? Truly that was your mistake and I have no blame in it.”
“You could have told me it was a possibility!”
“But then what kind of lesson would that be?”
“The kind where people don’t die and the kids don’t have nightmares and I don’t have to rebuild half my house afterwards. You know I just had that pantry built and look at it now”
They both turn and look at the pots spread out along the wall; packets of spices poking out between the potted herbs. What’s left of Kagome’s kitchen is a sad, cracked clay oven and cooking utensils haphazardly piled in a basket.
“A shelf really would do you wonders-”
She throws the balled up blanket at his head and snarls, advancing. “I had shelves, beautiful custom made shelves that Jaken sourced for me. They were from the mainland, and now they are kindling.”
“Jaken. Hm. Isn’t that the vassal of the elder Inu brother? The one who looks at you-” Teruo catches the blanket and it folds itself in his grip. Kagome narrows her eyes at him. “Ahem. Well, it's doubly good that I brought you a gift today.”
He hands the blanket back to her and she tucks it into a chest with the other winter bedding. The entire chest seems to get deeper as she does. Kagome shoots her father a look over her shoulder but he’s petting Kuroro and cooing at her. The cat is winding around his shins and purring loud enough that Kagome can hear her across the room.
Traitor.
She takes a moment to calm herself and when she returns to the hearth, her father is sitting on the floor with all three of Kuroro’s kittens climbing on him and Kuroro herself half asleep in his lap.
“What your home lacks in decor it makes up for in company. These nekomata are spectacular, are they all fire cats?”
Kuroro mews.
Teruo focuses on the cat, “Fascinating. And their sire?”
Kuroro answers in a series of little chirps. Teruo mimics her, she meows again. He nods and scratches her neck.
Kagome watches the interaction between him and her cat and tries to squash the jealousy rising up in her chest. Of course her father can speak to Kuroro. Hell, even Inuyasha can roughly communicate with animals, especially demonic ones. But watching someone live her childhood dream stings. So many years of wishing she was magical and could have an entire host of animal companions to help her on her quests, but then the dream came true and the animal communication had been left out entirely. She was pretty sure that Inuyasha didn’t count as an animal companion…
Kagome sits across from him, ignoring his barb about her house, and sets two cups on the low table, if he wants some tea then he’ll need to move the cats. Ha.
She lifts the kettle and larger hands encircle hers. His palms are calloused, surprising for a God to have working hands. More surprising still that he’s helping her.
Kagome glances at him and freezes. There's a kitten on his head. Musing his black hair and pulling some loose from its high knot.
Teruo takes the kettle from her and pours it into an ornate teapot that absolutely hadn't been on the table when Kagome sat down.
A scarlet dragon, its mouth is the spout and the ridges of its spine wind around the body of the pot, its tail makes the handle. Lips drawn back into a silver snarl, green eyes glimmer with malice.
Teruo plucks a pouch out of thin air and drops it into the pot. It looks fairly similar to modern tea bags except there won't be any type of tea bags for a few more centuries.
Curious, Kagome leans closer to the pot. Nose twitching as she tries to catch a scent of the tea. A tiny green eye flicks in her direction. Scrambling back she points at it. “It’s alive!”
“Don’t be dramatic. It’s safe.”
“Safe? Safe?” Kagome sheaths her hands in reiki, “Safe like the scrying ball? Or safe like that time you asked me for a favor and dropped me off a cliff?”
“Are you still going on about the cliff?” Teruo rolls his eyes, “Safe as in it can’t kill you.”
“Yes, I’m still mad about the cliff! I had to fight my way back up, in winter, while soaking wet!” She screeches and points at the living pot, “You’re not making this any better.”
“Stop screaming. The tea pot will be fine as long as a virgin doesn’t kiss it thrice on the first new moon of the year.”
Great. Okay. Cool. clenching her jaw, Kagome counts backwards from ten in english.
Still fuming she asks curtly, “What exactly happens if a virgin kisses it three times on the first new moon of the year?”
Teruo waves his hand dismissively and fills both of their cups, motioning for Kagome to take hers. She doesn’t. He sighs and removes the kitten from his head, cradling it to his chest like a newborn instead. The cup sprouts legs and crawls across the table at her. Kagome shudders and leans back.
“Should that extremely unlikely happenstance come to be, then darkness, plague and blight shall be released upon our world blah, blah, blah. And the gods themselves shall be cast from heaven and into darkness for allowing such a thing to take place.” He pats the dragon teapot affectionately. “Jaqlonqar here has been a guest of our family since my grandsire’s time. He’s essentially harmless now and steeps the most divine teas.”
If Kagome could, she would have pinned her ears back like Inuyasha. “I can’t accept this.”
“Bold of you to assume you have a choice in the matter.” Teruo sips his tea and sighs, shoulders drooping. He closes his eyes in delight.
“I do and I refuse.”
Teruo frowns; eyes still closed. The cats slink off of him and out of sight. “You will do this.”
“No.” Kagome stands and jabs a finger in her fathers face. “I’m not going to have some kind of bomb waiting to go off in my house. Not again.”
“You’re being ridiculous. It’s a teapot.”
“It's some kind of eldritch horror and I won't have it here, my son lives here! There are children here!”
“Pah!” Teruo scoffs.
“This has been fun but now it's time to go.”
“Really now?”
Kagome nods.
Teruo stands and waves his hand over the table, six identical teapots manifest, all of them steaming, and the scent of herbal tea fills the room. Overpowering in its floral notes. Kagome wrinkles her nose. It’s like a florists shop threw up. Even non-tea flowers fill her nose. Ugh.
“Find the right one and I’ll take it with me.”
The teapots shuffle and each pot gains two full mugs of tea. Pots settle back into place, the mugs only a heartbeat after them; their little legs thumping as they rotate. The tabletop is untouched, no scrapes, no spillage. Even the cloth runner on the table is exactly how she left it.
“I’m not going to play another one of your games. Take them all and don’t come back until you can be civil.”
“Civil?” Teruo smiles and it's not a kind one. Gone is the joyful father who is happy to banter with and bother his daughter.
In his place is a God. Eyes as dark as the shadows between stars and just as cold stare at her from a face carved from stone.
“I’ve been nothing but civil. I’ve played the role of the doting father. I’ve plotted my escape from the realms of the gods just to visit you, at your request, and you dare speak to me like this?”
Kagome bares her teeth letting a hint of her own fox out. Reiki stirs the air around her, teasing her hair loose from its low ponytail until it flows freely.
The hearth darkens, fire dimming down to coals. Teruo growls deep in his chest. The table vibrates between them. Tea sloshes over the rims of the cups and splashes across the tabletop. Tiny legs slurp back into the cups.
“I’ll ask you one last time, child. Play the game.”
Kagome knows that he’s not asking but she can’t figure out what he isn’t saying. If she refuses again, will she have to fight him or will he leave? Did she push him too far?
What if this is the moment he learns not to push her? She straightens her spine and squares her shoulders.
Sneering, she begins to speak-
“Oi! She said no, back off.” Inuyasha snaps as he strides through the front door. Dripping water all over the floor.
“Inuyasha-” Kagome warns but he cuts her off.
“I don’t know who the hell you are or what you're doing here but no one comes into my house and orders Kagome around.”
Teruo tilts his head, “That’s not what’s going on here-”
“Sure seems like it. Time for you to go.”
“Wait, Inuyasha,” Kagome tries again. She hasn’t told him about Teruo or about herself yet. Her legacy is still too new, too much, for her to share with Inuyasha, with any of her friends. He needs to know what he’s dealing with but he doesn’t give her the chance.
“I won’t have him here, sneaking around our house and disrespecting you.” Inuyasha draws Tetsusaiga, “Get the hell out!”
Teruo clacks his jaw in a distinctly canid threat. Inuyasha growls in response.
“So this is the great Inuyasha that my dear Kagome has told me so much about.”
“Funny, she hasn’t said a word about you. Guess you aren’t as important as you think.”
Yokai pulses out of Teruo and he grows larger. Otherworldly winds whip around and between him and Inuyasha. Ripping through the screen walls and knocking over Kagome’s herbs and spices. Dirt and seasonings taint the air.
“Not in my house! Out! Out!” Kagome screams at them, flickering into a barrier. She doesn’t know if she can purify a god, or if Teruo would walk right through her barrier as if it didn’t exist. Soil scours the barrier's edge.
Teruo advances, Inuyasha holds his ground. Tetsusaiga’s tip touches Teruo’s chest, and the god grows again. Wood groans as he expands, beams buckling under the pressure. He’s still in a humanoid form.
Kagome hits them with pure power. Pulling the purifying factor at the last second. Inuyasha stumbles but it washes over and through Teruo.
Teruo turns to her and snaps, “This conversation isn’t over.”
“The hell it isn’t! Don’t look at her.” Tetsusaiga ripples into adamant. “If you’re so tough why don’t you come out and fight me then!” Inuyasha growls and backs out of the house and into the courtyard.
Teruo shrinks just enough to fit through the door and charges.
“Adamant barrage!”
Diamonds slam into the siding, the grass, and everything in between except Teruo. He laughs and backhands Inuyasha. Sending the younger demon into the side of the dojo. Wood buckles under him.
“Pitiful.”
Inuyasha pops up and charges. Teruo swats him again, this time into the side of Sango’s house.
Kagome chases them outside. Triggering a series of barriers that she and Miroku set up in case of attack. Lilac and blue energies meld coating each building in a deep purple.
The western demon slayers make a point of training in all types of weather. Having headed out that morning, the base is practically empty. A fact she's grateful for as Teruo launches Inuyasha through a raised flower bed. She’s doubly thankful that Shippo went with them.
Inuyasha’s eyes tint crimson. The blue markings on his face thicken.
“What’s this?” Teruo kicks Inuyasha in the chest. “Losing control already?”
Inuyasha wheezes, “Wind Scar!”
Teruo slams a silver barrier into the place. The wind scar rages against it until petering out.
Teruo tuts. “What a waste.”
Inuyasha attacks again. Teruo sidesteps grabs him by the throat and pins him to the ground.
“My daughter uses her precious gift to make you a full demon and this is what you do with it?”
Inuyasha sinks his claws into Teruo’s arm, shredding through skin and muscles. Teruo doesn’t flinch.
Kagome frantically searches for a weapon.
To Kagome Teruo says, “He squanders the power, disrespects his lineage. I wonder who exactly he learned that from?”
“Leave her alone!” Inuyasha rakes his claws down his own arm, “Blades of Blood!”
Crimson blades slash him in a dozen places. Teruo doesn’t even blink. He slaps Inuyasha with his free hand, flaying the smaller demon's cheek to the bone. Inuyasha roars, yokai flaring.
Eyes fully red Inuyasha snarls and writhes. Kicking and clawing, his sword forgotten in his beast's rage.
“Let him go!” Kagome nocks an arrow aiming squarely at Teruo’s heart.
He glances at her and flicks his fingers. The bow snaps. “Do not test the levels of my patience, child.”
“I’m testing you? Father, you are out of control. Look at yourself!”
He ponders her for a moment. “I am a God, Kagome. A fact you seem all too happy to forget, let me give you a permanent reminder.”
Inuyasha’s skin bubbles as he shifts, jaws growing crooked and teeth too large, he angles his head and bites into Teruo’s wrist. The god shakes him. Inuyasha bites harder.
“You don’t even know how to shift properly. What is this abomination?” Teruo shakes his head, disgust written clearly across his face. “I know kits a quarter your age who- ah.”
Kagome knows that ‘ah.’ She’s heard it several times when Teruo’s gotten an idea that she’ll absolutely disagree with.
“Father don’t!”
“If you want to act like a half grown pup then I’ll treat you like one.”
Teruo leans over Inuyasha, opens his mouth impossibly wide and vomits silver yokai onto him.
Kagome screams, eyes glowing lilac; she begins to grow. Midnight fur sheaths her body as she explodes upwards into a house size kitsune.
Four tails lash behind her as she advances on her father. She lunges.
Teruo grabs her muzzle with his free hand and slams her face into the ground. Kagome whimpers, instincts screaming that she’s a bad kit.
Teruo holds her there as the stream of yokai slows. He leans back, releases Inuyasha and grabs Kagome by the scruff of her neck, shaking her roughly.
“Don’t you ever try that again.”
Kagome growls. Teruo slaps her across the nose. She yelps and curls like a kit.
“The boy will be fine. He might even learn a few things. As for you, just this once I’ll do you a favor. I will take the tea pot with me and keep it, but you will owe me a favor in return. Understood?”
Kagome flashes her fangs, he hits her again.
“Do you understand me, Daughter?” He grits out, slowly, power reverberating.
Pinning her ears back, Kagome nods.
Teruo drops her and vanishes.
Kagome shrinks down into her human form, exhaustion tears at her. For her first time transforming, she thinks she did an alright job of it.
She tries to stand and can’t. She crawls to Inuyasha's side. He’s unconscious but alive. Bruises litter his face and blood soaks his robes. His cheek knits together slowly as she examines him.
However, that's not the most shocking thing about him. He’s shrunk all the way down to child size, and judging by his appearance, he’s younger too. Much, much younger.
“Mama!” Shippo and the Western Demon slayers stream into the base, weapons at the ready. “What happened? We felt a huge demonic presence and-”
Shippo falls silent when he reaches her. Gently he touches her shoulder and dips his head to look at her face. Fury wafts from him in waves.
“Who did this to you?” His voice is colder than ice.
“It doesn’t matter.” She brushes him off and tugs Inuyasha closer, “We need to get him looked after.”
“You need to be looked after!” Shippo does a double take. “What the hell happened to him?”
“A God.” Kagome answers. “We angered a god and this is the price of it.”
Shippo blinks at her dumbfound. Sango and Miroku reach them and the cycle of questions repeats. Eventually Kagome gets them to help her and Inuyasha into the house and out of their ruined clothing.
Inuyasha wakes up when Kagome cups his face. Reiki flows between them, knitting his cheek together faster than his natural healing abilities.
“K’ome?” He blinks up at her, eyes going in and out of focus.
Kagome hushes him and keeps working. Inuyasha drifts back to sleep. Miroku sits beside her with his hand on her bare forearm. A gentle glow surrounds them as Miroku channels his holy power into Kagome. Boosting her healing and shoring up her reiki.
Kagome knew that Miroku’s powers compliment her own, working next to him was refreshing; she was powerful on her own but when working in tandem their potential skyrockets. But having him feed her magical core directly was new. His holy power rushes through her veins like a cold drink on a hot day. She wonders what her power feels like to him.
“It’s like sunshine.” Miroku answers and leans against her, “if I am fresh water to you then you are the sunshine after a terrible storm, a beacon of hope.”
“I didn’t realise I'd spoken out loud.”
“You didn’t, connected like this, you projected right into my mind.”
Kagome stiffens. “I what?!”
“Try not to worry about it too much. We’re melding and wielding together, some overlap is to be expected. At least that's what I read while studying with the monks in Hayasato.”
“Did it say how long the connection will last? I don’t want to hear your thoughts long term.”
Miroku laughs, “It should stop when I stop pushing power into you or vice versa. If not, then we’ll make the trip there and find out why.”
Or be studied.
Miroku laughs harder. “Or that.”
They don’t end up needing to go to Hayasato after all. Miroku cuts off the power and his voice fades from her head faster than the energy drains from her body. She barely manages to crawl onto her futon and the last thing she remembers is Shippo tucking her in.
When she wakes the rain has stopped and mid morning sunlight blasts into her house like it pays rent. She throws her arm over her eyes and curses herself for forgetting about the windows being open.
Resigning to her fate, she sits up and finds Inuyasha’s futon empty, Shippo is absent, the hearth barely smouldering, and an entire bouquet on the table.
It’s huge, overly colourful, almost impossibly colorful, and full of flowers that shouldn’t even be in bloom yet. Pansies, zinolas, buttercups, bloodroot, wood anemone, globemallow, and artemisia, are the ones she can name off the top of her head. Each having a specific meaning that alludes her. Just what is her father trying to say?
She tiptoes across the room, skirting around the bouquet. It doesn’t launch itself off the table and try to eat her face. The vase it’s in is sunshine yellow and so delicate that it could only be blown glass.
Getting the hearth up and going takes a few minutes and she puts the kettle back on to warm.
Taptaptapatap!
Kagome whirls, arms up and reiki out. A cup skitters away from her and back under the bouquet. Its tiny feet are no less disconcerting. Of course this happens now, when she’s alone and there's no one else to share in the creepiness or to investigate for her.
Steeling herself, Kagome lunges for the bouquet and grabs the cup. It squirms in her grasp and goes limp, legs sucking back inside it. She recoils but doesn’t drop it. Barely. Tea sloshes over the side but doesn’t burn her. The cup warms in her hands, steam billowing.
Kagome flicks her gaze around the house, double checking with her holy powers. She’s alone. The tea smells divine, she breathes it in and sighs with contentment. It's the same tea her father had made yesterday.
To drink or not to drink. A note pops into being and drifts onto the table. Kagome eyes it warily. She puts the cup down and picks up the note.
In perfect calligraphy, the note says:
That settles it. No drinking of the tea. Not that she really wanted to put the spider-cup to her lips anyway. What if it tries to touch her? Ew.
Forgive me? Forgive me! He forgives me? Me? That low down, rotten, flea bitten piece of spoiled cabbage…
He stole my cat! That bastard stole my cat! What the fuck does he mean I might not get the kittens back? They aren’t even my kittens. They’re the demon slayers. Now I have to tell Sango that my asshole of a father stole her fire cats. Oh shit, what if he took Kirara too?
He'll do what? Oh no, oh no, no, no. Kagome holds the note at arms length and prays that he doesn’t or hasn’t yet told Sesshomaru anything. Their courting is brand new, she doesn’t need any form of parental meddling!
Dropping the note, Kagome purses her lips and presses her folded hands against them. ‘Papa,’ stares at her. Absolutely not.
Crumpling the paper, she tosses it across the room. It bounces once and pops back into place on the table, perfectly uncreased. Poking her tongue into her cheek, Kagome hums, grabs the tea and dumps it onto the note.
The tea slurps into the note and the paper changes from pristine white to beige and then fades back to white.
Luckily the cup doesn’t refill. Hopefully the bouquet isn’t as hard to dispose of…
It is. Panting and sagging against the doorway, Kagome flips the bouquet off and leaves it on the table. Sweat drips off her brow. Nothing worked. Not picking it up, or tipping the table over, or asking Miroku to help. Even Sango’s Hiraikotsu couldn’t tip it over, nevermind breaking it. Nuking it with reiki only seemed to boost the flowers, causing them to glow and grow larger.
On the brightside Kirara wasn’t abducted. On the downside she also couldn’t budge the vase.
Maybe the Wind Scar can destroy it.
She’d ask Shippo and Inuyasha for help if she could find them. According to Sango they woke up early, gathered all the Slayer kids up and absconded into the forest.
Sango confirmed that Inuyasha recognized them right away, so Kagome didn’t need to worry about memory loss. Which is a relief because what the hell would she do if she had to raise Inuyasha from scratch? It’d be a brand new level of hell, that’d be sure.
Deciding not to worry about the boys she goes for a bath. The kids will be fine without her, she can take a bath and read a book and try to decompress. Way too much has gone on in the last two days all she needs is a little time to get her head on straight. Then she’ll tackle the problems head on. Starting with the very familiar yokai cloud approaching at high speeds.
So much for that idea. Wilting, she goes back into the house and freshens up with a cloth and a bucket of cool water.
Sesshomaru and Rin touch down in a golden orb. Kagome hears them talking to Sango and Miroku and is momentarily grateful that she doesn’t need to rehash yesterday's events. Again.
“Rin, hunt down Inuyasha and Shippo, and bring them back here.” Sesshomaru’s smooth orders drift through the thin walls and Kagome’s heart flutters.
Scrubbing faster she splashes water on her hakama and scowls. Of course. That’s what she gets for rushing. Footsteps on the deck and knuckles rapping on the door frame are her only warning.
Sesshomaru drifts through the front of the house, Kagome tracks him as he makes his way to her. He pauses at the screen to her room, she calls him in.
Arms wrap around her torso, pulling her into his chest. His nose brushes her neck and she tilts her head to grant him better access. He hugs her tightly.
“I leave for less than a week and this is what you get up to? Confronting gods in the yard. Without me.”
Kagome huffs. “Next time I’ll be sure to call on you.”
“As you should.” Sesshomaru rumbles and kisses the side of her head. “Tell me.”
So much for not rehashing.
Kagome starts at the beginning, detailing her first meeting and the change of her wish and finishing with the note.
“Just to be clear,” She meets Sesshomaru’s gaze steadily, needing him to understand. “I was always going to make Rin a demon. She is your daughter and I wanted you to have her forever.”
Sesshomaru reaches for her, cups the back of her head and kisses her. Pouring everything he can’t say into it. His lips are soft and warm and pull her deeper. His tongue teases her bottom lip, asking for entry. Kagome chases it and he delves into her. Fingers tangling in his hair she pulls him closer, moaning as he grabs her waist, pulling her flush to him.
“Seriously? Why him?” Inuyasha retches dramatically.
Kagome flips him off.
“You’re just learning about them now?” Shippo slaps his hand over his face. “And I thought dog demons had a good sense of smell. Why do you think he’s always here? It’s not for the scenery.”
“Ugh.” Inuyasha shudders, ears flicking uncomfortably.
Rin laughs at him. “Come on. They aren’t stopping and I don’t want to see where this goes.”
The children retreat. Kagome breaks off the kiss, gasping, and smiles at Sesshomaru. He kisses the tip of her nose, then each cheek, and then places a lingering kiss on her forehead.
“Return to the Western Shiro with me.”
“I- what?”
“Come home with me, Kagome. Let’s raise our children, and my brother, together.”
“Sesshomaru, I-”
“You don’t have to answer right now.” He kisses her again, softly. “You are important to me, Kagome, and the thought of leaving you here to raise two pups by yourself is unfathomable.”
He tightens his hold on her and folds her into a hug, resting his cheek on top of her head. “Think about it. Please.”
Kagome relaxes into his embrace, nuzzling his chest. “I will.” She promises.
The note and bouquet vanish. Leaving a single blue rose in their place.
“By the way,” Kagome asks warily, “Did you happen to receive a note this morning?”
Sesshomaru exhales sharply through his nose. “Last night. However, that is not why I am asking you to join me at my home. I simply do not want to miss further battles with the Gods.”
Kagome smacks him in the arm and laughs.