Still admiring the fine little set of clothes, Kagome didn’t notice at first how darkly silent Inuyasha had become. Tensely, she turned to him. The rich patterned silk slid through her fingers, rustling in the feathery wrappings as it fell.

“…Inuyasha?” she asked him faintly, holding Shin protectively to her.

“Those fancy clothes,” Inuyasha muttered, glaring toward the chest. 

“W-what about them?”

“It’s pretty fucking clear, isn’t it? What Sesshoumaru means by them…” 

As Inuyasha’s seething glare fixed on her, Kagome paled. Her heart thudded in dread. In the tightening cradle of her arms, Shin stirred awake.

“‘Divine Silkworm’,” Inuyasha scoffed. “Sesshoumaru’s such a show-off. Any excuse to try and one-up me…”

Kagome sighed in relief. After a moment, Shin drifted off again.

Of course, their best friends, knowing they’d want some space for a while, were the latest in coming around to call. Kaede showed up first, her aged arms brimming with pots of hearty soups and fragrant teas. She was floored at Kagome’s recovery post-labor, claiming she’d mended more swiftly than ‘any lass I’ve ever seen.’

“Must be because I’m a miko, right?” Kagome guessed, sitting up.

“…Aye,” Kaede said, her crinkled smile not quite meeting her one visible eye. “Must be.”

Rin showed up next, bearing a beautiful baby blanket she’d knitted from yarn so soft it flowed like cool water over Kagome’s hands. As Kagome ooh-ed and ahh-ed over this gift, Rin beamed.

“You should have heard Jakken-sama’s grumbling when he could tell the shade or weight wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. He whined so loudly about what an inconvenience it was to keep bringing me new skeins, and ‘if only you weren’t Sesshoumaru-sama’s ward’ and so on and so forth.”

Rin’s endearing tone was rather lost on Kagome. “Um, but wasn’t he just following Sesshoumaru’s orders?”

“Oh no,” Rin said with a wave. “He didn’t know anything about this project. It’s not as though he needs to know everything I do every moment of every day, does he?” When Kagome said nothing to this rather defensive response, Rin smiled fondly again. “Youkai are so funny, aren’t they, Kagome-chan? They’re not very sentimental, but they still have feelings, deep down. Jakken-sama will never admit he cares for me, but how else can you explain how devoted he is?”

Kagome shifted uncomfortably, recalling just how plainly Sesshoumaru had admitted his feelings to her. Had that been a great and terrible concession on his part?

Rin lingered for a while, chatting with Kagome and rocking baby Shin by turns. Kagome wondered at this, until she saw Rin perk up when Sango, Miroku and their family entered the hut—and promptly deflate on the spot when Kohaku was conspicuously absent among them. Returning Shin to Kagome, Rin muttered something about needing to go, and hastened away. Kagome frowned after her, her heart going out to her young friend. Sango frowned after Rin as well.

“Kohaku’s been very busy lately,” Sango said, turning back to Kagome. “He has his heart set on rebuilding our village, and has been training new taijiya recruits.”

Sango’s tone was apologetic, toward whom exactly it was difficult to tell. Kagome smiled warmly all the same.

“That’s wonderful to hear, Sango-chan. I’m very glad for him.” Kagome nodded pointedly toward the door where Rin had gone. “We all are, I’m sure. Hopefully he’ll be able to stop by for a visit soon.”

Sango nodded, smiling back. She’d brought a wonderfully useful gift for Kagome—a smart baby-harness she’d fashioned herself, so that Kagome could ferry Shin around on her back or chest with ease. As she thanked Sango repeatedly, the twin girls and their baby brother Komori played with Shin.

“He’s so cute!” one of the little girls exclaimed, giggling. “But where are his puppy ears?”

“Ears, ears!” Komori chirped, shaping triangles out of his hands and fitting them to the top of his head.

“That’s what I want to know,” Inuyasha put in snidely from where he was leaning against the wall talking with Miroku.

“You’re calling him ‘Shin’, is that right?” the monk asked.

“Well, that’s what we’re calling him for now,” Inuyasha said, puffing out his chest. “But I’m thinking ‘Inuyamimaru’ would suit him better. Or ‘Inukamimaru’, maybe.”

Kagome gaped at him. She’d never heard anything so pretentious in her life!

“His name is Shin,” she said stoutly, staring hard at him. “When you push one out of your body, Inuyasha, you can name him whatever you like.”

Miroku chuckled. Inuyasha humphed, crossing his arms.

“Kagome-chan,” a boyish voice called from the door, “sorry we’re late!”

Shippou bounded into the hut with Kirara in tow. He seemed a few inches taller than when Kagome had seen him last, or maybe it was the fact that he was flush with another kitsune accolade. He’d fashioned a special toy top for Shin, which with a snap of the fingers transformed into a floating mobile of glimmering moons and stars.

“For now and later,” Shippou said proudly, as Kagome praised him.

It was only after a moment that she sensed before she even saw, Kirara bristling in her periphery. Kitten-sized, she looked singularly ferocious nevertheless as her slitted, blood-red eyes glared right at Shin. A tense silence fell over the room as everyone else cast surprised glances toward her.

Taken aback, Kagome whispered out, “K-Kirara-chan…?”

Kirara’s crimson gaze cut to her. The air froze in Kagome’s lungs. There was something knowing, something undeniably accusing in that look of hers. 

The tension broke swiftly as Kirara turned and stalked from the hut. Shippou bounded after her. Kagome couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think as she waited for her adopted son to return. She was only partially aware of the startled muttering around her over the ringing in her ears. 

Returning at last to the hut, Shippou gave a helpless shrug when Sango asked him what was wrong with Kirara. 

“She wouldn’t say.”

---

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

Revised 6/29/23

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