Inuyasha wasn’t at home when she arrived, not that she’d expected him to be. He usually came trudging in after sunset, and that was still about an hour off. Anxiously, she paced the hut with Shin in her arms, glancing about, thinking. She felt both sick with dread and restless with anticipation. No matter how badly Inuyasha took this news, it would be a relief to her, in some small way, just to have it off her chest. In time, she hoped it might even be a relief to him too, because at least he would finally understand everything that had happened since she’d undertaken this pact with Sesshoumaru.

‘Forgive and forget’ was too much to hope for, but Kagome was surprised to find herself prepared for this grim inevitability. Maybe since Kirara had discovered her secret, she’d been subconsciously preparing for it. Maybe even before that, in some small dark corner of her mind.

It was surreal to her to think that in just a few hours her whole life would change. How exactly it would, she couldn’t begin to fathom. There were too many possibilities. Even knowing Inuyasha as well as she did, his reaction was difficult to predict.

He would be terribly angry, that much she knew. The sadder he felt, the angrier he would be. It was his defense mechanism against the world that had spurned him, and it grieved her to know that she would be counted among his many disappointments. Her intentions wouldn’t matter to him—not in the moment, anyway.

She had to be prepared for the worst. Though she hadn’t ‘sat’ him in years, she knew that she might have to, to protect both her son and herself. If he flew into a demonic rage, she might have to take even more drastic measures to subdue him. She centered her reiki to the purpose, though she hoped desperately it wouldn’t come to that.

She packed a small bag for Shin and herself, in case she had to flee the hut. She might have to take Miroku up on his offer of help, then. Even if she didn’t, it reassured her immensely just to know that she still had a friend in the world. Miroku had been angry and disappointed with her, but he didn’t hate her. That was something to pin her hopes upon.

Sesshoumaru couldn’t be relied on. Gods only knew where his mind was at. Kagome had every reason to suspect that he’d allowed Miroku to discover them together. This had been her gut reaction, and it was difficult to dismiss after all he’d said and done. In his own strange way Sesshoumaru might have thought he was doing her some sort of favor, forcing the issue like this, but if so, Kagome didn’t appreciate it. Not at all. She pushed her misgivings aside as the evening wore on, reminding herself that Sesshoumaru wasn’t human, and that he was Shin’s father, besides. Even if the best she could give him was the benefit of the doubt, she would. After all, the most bitter and likely outcome was that Inuyasha’s rage would be directed at him.

With Shin in her lap, Kagome sat by the door and waited, watchful and tense. Shin squirmed against her after a while, cranky from the stress of the day and not being able to sleep in his crib like usual. Kagome felt sorry for him, but she had to keep him close.

The moment Inuyasha came striding sour-faced through the door, Shin reached for him with such surprising force that Kagome almost lost her hold on him. Cracking a grin, Inuyasha bent and plucked him from her.

“Missed me, little guy?” Shin burbled happily as Inuyasha bounced him up and caught him in the cradle of his arm. “You’re a good kid, you know that?”

Kagome stood, frowning and pained. “Inuyasha…”

Heedless, he walked away. “What’s that?” he murmured, dipping a silver ear toward Shin and the baby gibberish he was gurgling. “Did you say ‘Tou-san’?”

“He’s too young for that,” Kagome snapped, somewhat hysterically, as she strode over to him and put out her hands. “Please, Inuyasha, give him back to me. There’s something I need to tell you.”

Inuyasha’s eyes narrowed as he turned Shin aside, out of her reach. “What is it?”

Kagome’s heart raced in stark distress. “Just give him to me, and I’ll tell you.”

Inuyasha stared warily at her, making her pulse spike again—until a sudden shrill from beyond the doorway had both their heads whipping aside.

“Miko-sama! Please—please come quickly!”

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

Revised 11/7/23