The chill of winter returned with sudden vengeance. One last bitter hurrah, it seemed, before yielding the mantle to spring.

Trapped inside for the majority of the day, Kagome was going stir-crazy enough before Inuyasha burst through the door and dropped a literal bombshell on her. The dead, bloody boar had scarcely crashed to the floorboards when he ripped off a steaming haunch, shoved the heavy reed mat aside and turned around again.

“Miroku needs my help with an exorcism,” he said to her over his shoulder. “Shouldn’t be gone more than a day or two. This’ll tide you over ‘til then, right?”

Kagome shivered at the frigid air flooding in through the half-opened door. She doubted Miroku really needed Inuyasha’s assistance—much less that he wanted it. Inuyasha being around would certainly put a damper on Miroku’s flirting with the local girls and scheming to milk the unsuspecting villagers for all they were worth. More than likely, Inuyasha was just imposing himself on this exorcism mission because he was as bored sitting around here as she was.

Fortunately for him, he had the freedom of movement to escape this wintry purgatory. In the condition she was in, even short walks left her feeling winded.

Hugging her arms around herself, Kagome suppressed a sigh. “I guess so.”

If Inuyasha sensed from her tone that she was feeling put-out, he didn’t show it. “Great,” he said back to her around a mouthful of raw, shredded pork. Lowering the shank of meat from his fangs, he arched a brow. “Well?”

“Well, what?”

“Aren’t you gonna kiss me goodbye?”

Kagome sighed then as she crossed over to him, stepping around the bristly carcass between them. “Your mouth is covered in blood,” she muttered, giving him a peck on the cheek instead. “Have fun on your ghost hunt.”

“Yeah, we’ll see. Odds are it’s just a sham.” Smirking, Inuyasha gave her round belly a rub. “You two get some rest while I’m gone.”

Kagome’s shoulders sagged as he left. The curtain listed shut behind him, plunging the hut into gloom once more. 

“Rest,” she echoed flatly to herself.

As if she hadn’t gotten enough of that lately. 

Kagome turned, casting a sullen glance around the cold, empty room. At this early hour, Taiyoutori had yet to materialize from the red-gold sunbeams slanting down upon the eggless straw. Radish-flavored today, Kagome recalled with a grimace. But she would have gladly eaten another not to feel so alone.

She missed Inuyasha already. Even if they were just bickering, his company helped to while away the long hours of these bleak winter days. 

Dismally, Kagome looked to the three-legged pig carcass hogging up most of the room. At least dealing with this mess would keep her occupied for a while. After eating as much raw pork as she could stomach, she hacked up the rest of the boar with an ax and dragged it out back to the meat cellar. Taking many breaks all the while, she spent another good hour inside on her hands and knees on the cold wooden floor, trying to scrub pig’s blood out of the grain. Despite her best efforts, the hut still looked mostly like a crime scene.

Chest heaving and arms shaking, she finally gave up. While she lay sprawled out panting in bed, she felt for the baby, both with her hands and her miko senses. But after several minutes, there was still no response. Not even the faintest wisp of youki. Kagome forced herself not to dwell on it, though in her idle, lonesome state this was easier said than done.

Only the fact she’d experienced this before kept her panic at bay. Lately, sometimes for hours at a stretch, the baby’s demonic aura—which had been growing stronger by the day—would suddenly vanish, as if he’d wicked out of existence altogether.

She’d been hysterical on that first occasion. Inuyasha had been similarly distressed, though he’d tried not to show it. By the time he’d shouted her down, the baby’s youki had flared back to life in her belly like a freshly-lit flame. She’d never felt so relieved.

A shadow of that same relief washed over her presently, as she felt the baby kick against her palm. She still couldn’t sense his youki, but now that he was kicking, she felt silly for the worry twisting her up inside. Most women couldn’t sense their babies at all, and here she was freaking out when she didn’t feel his presence every second.

After all, she couldn’t always feel Sesshoumaru’s…

Pushing that uncomfortable thought aside, she tried to get some rest like Inuyasha had told her to. She was just starting to drift off when she heard a creak at her porch step.

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

Revised 1/31/23