It was a while before Kagome gathered the wherewithal to pull herself back from her mother’s embrace. Straightening and swiping at her wet sticky face, she was thankful that it was dark out still, so that her mother wouldn’t see just how much of a trainwreck she was—
For the moment, anyway.
Holding onto her breast, Shin remained quiet and still. While she’d been hugging her mother, he had morphed into his hanyou form. Now while Mrs. Higurashi tucked her daughter’s fallen hair back behind her ear, his glowing green-gold eyes studied this familiar stranger with canine fixity. The shadowy outlines of his dog ears pricked forward as he snuffed near her cheek, and then, seemingly satisfied with what he’d gleaned with his inuyoukai senses, he gave a great toothy yawn.
“Oh my…” Mrs. Higurashi whispered, touching a hand to her heart as she caught the glint of his fangs and claws in the darkness. “Just like Inuyasha’s.”
A tight ball of anguish rolled up into Kagome’s throat, threatening to smother her. As if sensing her distress, Mrs. Higurashi placed a soothing hand to her arm.
“Come inside now, dear. I’ll fix us some tea.”
Kagome nodded gratefully. She followed her mother up the porch steps and into the kitchen. Shin’s pupils dilated cartoonishly wide in the wash of artificial light. His puppy ears perked, swiveling in seemingly all directions at once. His snub nose sniffed the air like crazy. His little claws dug into Kagome’s forearm in his eagerness to romp around this gleaming kitchen full of glittering modern wonders. Excitedly, he whined and wriggled against her. Inhumanly strong as he was in this form, it was all she could do to keep a hold on him.
“Hush, baby,” she said to him, softly but firmly, using that curious power of command she seemed to possess. “You’ll wake your uncle and great-grandpa. You can explore later, I promise.”
Shin sagged against her, sulky but subdued. Mrs. Higurashi beamed down at him, clearly on his side.
“It’s all so fun and new to him,” she said fondly, giving her grandson a pat between the ears before she bustled off to see to the tea.
With Shin in arms, Kagome sat down at her old place at the dining table. Her mother brought over the tea tray not long after, with a glass of chocolate milk for Shin. Snatching the drink up in his claws, he sniffed at it lustily, then drank the whole glass down in a one big, tongue-smacking gulp. As Kagome took the empty glass from him, she didn’t need beast-speech to interpret the stars shining in his eyes as he gazed at Mrs. Higurashi—
Favorite
Before her mother sat down at the table herself, she rooted through the fridge and came back with a formidable stack of leftovers balanced expertly in her arms. Kagome didn’t realize how famished the last few hours’ exertions had left her, until the savory scents wafted toward her. She tore through the tupperwares of yakisoba and onigiri, gyoza and takoyaki and red bean buns. As was her habit over the last few months, she offered Shin little nibbles of whatever she was eating, careful to avoid the nip of his fangs. Her mother was a fantastic cook, while Kagome’d had always had two left hands in the kitchen. Still, unbidden, she recalled Inuyasha proclaiming once, with his mouth full of instant ramen she’d made—
“Fucking warlords would fight over this.”
He’d had the same starry-eyed look back then as Shin did now. Kagome’s heart clenched with fresh pain. Even her fond memories had been poisoned. Thinking back on that innocent moment with Inuyasha just felt to her now like another way of having deceived him.
Holding Shin out to her mother, she said as she always did, whenever introducing him to someone or something new, almost without thinking—
“Baa-chan.”
“Baa baa,” Shin said at once, reaching.
Kagome’s heart faltered—he’d been trying to say ‘mom’ for so long now, and just like that, he’d almost said an entire new word? She tried hard not to feel envious.
“Baa baa,” Mrs. Higurashi said delightedly, hugging Shin to her. “That’s right—what a smart boy you are!”
Shin transformed into his human self, smiling up at her with a wealth of emotion that stole Kagome’s breath. But all the excitement of the night, good and bad, had finally caught up with him. He relaxed against his grandmother, soothed by her gentleness and calm. In just a few moments, he was sleeping soundly.
Kagome and her mother sipped at their tea in companionable silence. Most mothers would have interrogated their long-lost daughter showing up barefoot and bedraggled in the middle of the night, with their startled baby in tow, on the spot. But Mrs. Higurashi had waited patiently for Kagome to explain herself instead. She looked at her mother with nothing but love and gratitude in her heart. Maybe it was her own biased opinion, but Kagome believed she had the best mother in the world. She couldn’t imagine what she had ever done to deserve her.
And just like that, it all came pouring out of her—the constant fighting with Inuyasha, the growing discontent in their marriage, the pact with Sesshoumaru and the true paternity of Shin, the churn of guilt-and-affair that had followed after, and the horrible confrontations that had followed after that, until now, when she and Shin had fled from Edo like thieves in the night.
A long silence met Kagome’s ears at the end of all this. She glanced to her white-faced, speechless mother—her poor betrayed mother, whose husband had walked out on her and her two young children without so much as a backward glance. Kagome believed—she had to believe—that her mother would always love her. But she feared at that abject look that something had changed irrevocably between them. That her mother would never think of her the same way again. That her mother would forever think less of her.
Well, Kagome told herself, it was nothing less than what she deserved.
Kagome bowed her head. Tears pattered from her eyes to the table. A warm soft hand covered hers where it lay. Kagome looked blearily up. Her mother was crying, too. Silently, so as not to wake Shin.
“Oh, Kagome, I don’t know what to say—I’m just so sorry for you all…”
Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
Might edit this down later, but this scene was just on my heart for some reason and I ran with it <3
Oh, Kagome. I hope it feels good to get it out there in the open. I can only imagine how it feels to be so truthful for the first time in so long, how insanely fragile she must feel when waiting for her mom to respond. I’m glad she’s being met with support. I hope Kagome can find some peace there in the present time in order to eventually go back and (literally) face her demons in the past!
” I hope Kagome can find some peace there in the present time in order to eventually go back and (literally) face her demons in the past!” – well said!!
Thanks for sharing, Tsuyoku! Hope you enjoy where the story goes from here <3
Wow, fantastically done. Mama Higurashi is the picture of patience and kindness. I’m so happy Kagome is home and with her!! Hopefully some healing can be done
“Mama Higurashi is the picture of patience and kindness” – 100%!
Thanks so much, mim! Hope you enjoy the next part <3
“I’m just so sorry for you all” sums up this story nicely. I feel bad for everyone. Even dead Miroku 😭! And woooww, this chapter made me realize just how much I missed Kagome in the modern era! Though I wonder how long she’ll stay. I really, really, REALLY hope Inuyasha isn’t dead when she comes back ( still remember a little story of yours… with Inuyasha in Mount Hakurei) 😩😩
AND LOOOL, Mama Higurashi being Shin’s fav is so funny. That baby’s so damn cute shotgunning his chocolate milk hahaha.
““I’m just so sorry for you all” sums up this story nicely. I feel bad for everyone. ” – couldn’t agree more ;_;
Mama Higurashi is the #1 grandma! So glad you enjoyed the cuteness in this scene too, bella! Thanks so much <3
I’m so happy that Kagome has her mama. What a relief it must be to have it all out in the open now, despite how painful it is.
‘Now while Mrs. Higurashi tucked her daughter’s fallen hair back behind her ear, his glowing green-gold eyes studied this familiar stranger with canine fixity. The shadowy outlines of his dog ears pricked forward as he snuffed near her cheek, and then, seemingly satisfied with what he’d gleaned with his inuyoukai senses, he gave a great toothy yawn.’
Mama passed the canine spot check 😂 Apropos of nothing but I hope Shin doesn’t eat Buyo hahaha
hahaha!
“What a relief it must be to have it all out in the open now, despite how painful it is.” – absolutely, nothing worse than the burden of carrying painful secrets ;_;
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on the scene, hanayome! Hope you enjoy the next chapter!! <3
I would never go back. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha are both bipolar!! I’d worry my little Shin might turn out with emotional problems too especially if he’s around either one of them! Sesshoumaru left, so now he can wait 500 yrs to see his child! Kagome and Shin are both better off. Just don’t feel sorry for either one. Maybe she’ll get lucky and Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha will kill each other off and maybe Kagome can have old coins inherited to her and Shin by another old lord still alive. Great Chapter!
Thanks so much, redwolf! So glad you enjoyed the chapter! Hope you enjoy where Kagome’s venture into the Modern Era goes from here <3
Mother’s always suffer for their children. No matter the age. I’m glad Kagome has come clean and I hope this is the start of healing for her.
Well said, Kathy! Coming clean is the necessary first step for her <3 Thanks for sharing & hope you enjoy the next part!
Kagome needed this moment. A moment to say everything out loud for once instead of just constantly thinking and being on edge and worrying if Inuyasha or someone else might pickup on something. Sometimes, we do everything we can to hold a relationship together, whether it’s healthy or not, and we don’t realize that sometimes we’re hurting the situation more. We don’t see it until we run down the timeline of events and realize some situations aren’t worth saving and the universe has a way of humbling us when we think we can do and be with whomever/whatever we want, no matter how bad the situation is.
It’s been several chapters since, but I feel bad for Kagome again 😭 All of this was so Inuyasha could have a family but it was at the expense of everyone else, including herself. It’s crazy because Inuyasha HAS a family and she was apart of that, even before they were married. I didn’t really think heavily into something that was said a few chapters back until now…“It’s long-since healed. Why can’t you see that?” I wonder if this was really all for him or for herself. She’s been lonely since choosing the fuedal era. Even though she’s gotten use to it, I feel like she regrets her decision because she was on the high of traveling around and trying to defeat Naraku. Now there’s peace and nothing to do but chores that could easily be done with machines in our time lol (I like nature but I’ve grown accustomed to my TV and phone 😅)
As per usual, this was great!!! Can’t believe there’s almost 150 parts 😱
Also, sorry for the dissertations 😅
Never apologize – I love it!! So many excellent insights!
“Sometimes, we do everything we can to hold a relationship together, whether it’s healthy or not, and we don’t realize that sometimes we’re hurting the situation more. ” – love this so much, it’s so spot-on in so many ways 💔
Thanks for sharing those lines that stood out to you from a few chapters back!! “Now there’s peace and nothing to do but chores that could easily be done with machines in our time lol (I like nature but I’ve grown accustomed to my TV and phone 😅)” – hahaha you and me both! The feudal era seems so romantic, but I know I couldn’t handle it LOL
And wow – we’re almost at 150 chapters!! I didn’t even realize it! That’s so cool 🙂 Thanks for coming on this journey with me, friend! Hope you enjoy where it goes from here <3
Oh my goodness! No need to edit this down, it is absolutely perfect! 😭💔
Aww thanks so much, L-desu!! So glad you enjoyed the scene! <3
💯% Agree with mama Higurashi here.
Lovely update! 💜
Thank you so much, friend! So glad you enjoyed the update <3
Kids will usually take to their grandparents the best 🤣 And Mama Higurashi is certainly no.1 Mom, ain’t no way Kagome is winning this contest.
I knew Mr. Higurashi was gonna come up, but I think their situations are complete opposites. Dad went out to buy milk and I guess the line at the grocery store is gonna last another fifty years, but Kagome sacrificed her whole self to keep Inuyasha’s family together. Ironically she pulled the one move (the pact with Sesshoumaru) that was guaranteed to destroy their relationship for good 🥲
“Dad went out to buy milk and I guess the line at the grocery store is gonna last another fifty years,” – XD
“…but Kagome sacrificed her whole self to keep Inuyasha’s family together. ” – yep that’s true – it’s certainly not an apples-to-apples comparison here
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on the scene, oskorreia! Hope you enjoy the next!! <3
Holding Shin out to her mother, she said as she always did, whenever introducing him to someone or something new, almost without thinking—
“Baa-chan.”
–
She just holds him out to anyone?? Girl he DO bite 🤣🤣🤣
Can you imagine if Kagome hugs someone Shin didn’t like and he starts going off like a rabid chihuahua? XD That looked like what could’ve happened in that moment HAHAHAHA
His stubby baby fangs are deadlier than a viper’s hehe. He nearly took out Inuyasha.
“Girl he DO bite 🤣🤣🤣” – XDD love it
Thanks for sharing, Inupapa! Hope you enjoy the next chapter!! <3
Kagome just needs some TLC at home with her mom for a bit 🥺 Just enough for her to find her center, then she’ll figure out what to do. Meanwhile I can just imagine the chaos happening back in Edo right now. I feel like someone is about to show up at the wellhouse soon enough.
“Kagome just needs some TLC at home with her mom for a bit” – for sure, but fair point about what’s happening meanwhile in Edo…we shall see 😉
Thanks for sharing, friend! Hope you enjoy where the story goes from here!! <3
So well done! I’m glad Kagome has her mother now. She needs a break from all the turmoil and I think this will benefit her a lot. Nothing like Mom’s love and understanding, especially hers. Looking forward to what is come come XD
Thank you, Delys! “Nothing like Mom’s love and understanding, especially hers” – absolutely! <3 So glad you're excited to see what happens next!!
mother’s hugs are the best in kagome’s predicament
and if i were mother i would so take the chance of having a puppy-eared grandbaby to stuff him in dinosaur onesies, baby bear rompers, kitty cat paw mittens and booties, and just go ham on the baby pictures
Hahaha I’d be right there with ya – although I might die of cuteness at pics like that XD
Thanks for sharing, rehizakki! Hope you enjoy the next part <3
Yep it truly is so sad for everyone. Even Sango and Miroku.
But out of those tragedies Kagome got a miracle as wonderful as Shin, Sango is expecting another little taijiya-monk baby, Rin and Kohaku got hitched, the Lady of the West laughed happily for the first time in probably centuries, and Kagome might be carrying another demon pup, so you could say there’re some glowing white sprigs in the ashes c: Blessings in disguise! Silver linings behind the clouds! All hope isn’t lost.
I just think the positives are also pretty significant to consider.
“Blessings in disguise!” – absolutely true – despite all the tragedy and mayhem, there are points of light, which you describe so well, and those are important to keep in mind <3
Thanks so much for sharing, Kova! Hope you enjoy the next part!!
Aaawww…
Kagome really needed her mother. She needed space to be vulnerable and open.
And Shin automatically loving mama Higurashi is too cute!
Hahaha so glad you enjoyed the cuteness and the openness in this scene, Maya! <3 Thanks so much!!
Her omma is the best because I would’ve at least shook the slipper at her 😭 Kagome had months to make it right but she was petrified with distress until the end. Fleeing Edo like this is at least the best of what could have been the most awful consequence. And what if it isn’t over? What if the worst is yet to come?
It’s true that so much is still up in the air – how long will this respite last is certainly a valid question. Love the insights, catmechanic! Thanks so much for sharing your take on the situation!! <3