The next few days were ones of muddled relief for Kagome. After telling the full truth to her mother, her soul felt lighter—dizzying almost, at times. But she couldn’t stop her anxious mind from asking, What next? And, What’s happening in Edo?
It was a balm to her heart, spending time with her family. Listening to Souta’s grumbling about university entrance exams, tinged with his cheerful eagerness to enter into the next stage of his life. Laughing along with everyone else at her grandpa’s superstitious antics, which had only gained force over the years since Kagome’s forays into the past had confirmed the existence of youkai. She could’ve gone without her grandpa testing out the strength of his warding sutras against Shin, however; but so far only his black ears had dipped slightly at any of the various spells the old man had tried.
“Oooh,” Jii-chan said, raising his bushy silver brows significantly as Shin turned his glowing green eyes away from the amulet he’d been waggling in his face, “I had a feeling this was a particularly potent relic!”
To Kagome, her infant son just seemed bored. But she saw no need to spoil the old man’s fun.
Souta’s perfectly reasonable questions were much more concerning to her. Even with her mother helping to run interference for her, Kagome found herself in one awkward moment after the next.
Bouncing a giggling human Shin on his knee, Souta asked, “So, how’s Inuyasha’s new gig been going?”
Kagome tensed. “What?”
Souta frowned at her, confused. “Well, he’s not here with you and Shin, so I just figured he’s out on a demon-slaying mission, right?”
Kagome froze in dread, thinking for the hundredth time, I hope not.
As Souta waited for her to answer, Mrs. Higurashi tactfully interceded, beaming at her son from the kitchen, “Oh, yes, dear, he’s been very busy recently.”
“That’s good,” Souta said, grinning as Shin transformed, springing up in his hanyou form to grab at the ceiling blade fans and go for a whirl.
Kagome’s anxieties weren’t relegated to past concerns. While she and Shin were staying in her mother’s house, they were doing so as fugitives. Kagome, for the past crime she’d committed. And Shin, simply for his demonic nature. During the day, she didn’t feel safe to leave the house. During the night, she woke up sweating from more than one nightmare where Shin had escaped her and ranged through the city, and eventually been captured and held as a government experiment.
But every time she’d gotten up to check on her son, he’d been dozing peacefully in his camp bed beside her, four-legged or otherwise. She touched her hand to his cheek and breathed a sigh of relief.
Just to prevent any gossip from the neighbors, Kagome and Shin were sleeping in Souta’s room for the time being, while Souta slept on the couch downstairs. Once, after a while, Kagome went into her old, vacant bedroom with the curtains drawn. She meandered among her old things. Her old bureaus and closets. Her old school desk.
Her former life in Modern Tokyo had been preserved. But there was nothing of her other life here. Her real life in Sengoku Jidai. Her only life, now. No mementos. No pictures.
It was as if all the years since she’d gone down the well had never existed. Standing in her own room, Kagome felt like a stranger, like a wandering ghost.
When she closed that bedroom door behind her, she would never pass through it again. Not for the rest of her long life.
As she was closing it, she felt a stir—an unmistakable sense of presence. Her senses sharpened.
A familiar presence.
Kagome ran downstairs. From the landing she went into the kitchen, where at the side-door she met her mother, speaking to Inuyasha. As he raised his amber eyes to her, Kagome couldn’t begin to describe the expression in them. Riveted, she stared, until he turned back toward the door, and the gruff sound of his voice broke the void of their silence—
“C’mon. Let’s talk outside.”
Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
Oh, that’s just a cruel cliffhanger! He seems more calm than we thought he would, and I have this awful suspicion that he’s had time to process and may not want to necessarily break everything off with her right now. I’m curious as to whether he will still remain a barrier for kagome instead of the freedom from him that we think she got a few chapters ago. On the other hand, Inuyasha has been betrayed by a lover before, and I wouldn’t think he’d be able to necessarily recover from another instance of it. Oh, I can’t wait for this conversation!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the scene, Tsuyoku! So glad you’re stoked to see what happens next! Promise I won’t leave ya hanging for too long 😉
<3
I’m so glad Kagome has had the benefit of some catharsis and time spent with her family.
I’m already buckling in for her chat with Inuyasha. Emotional turbulence ahead.
Haha fasten your seat belt 😉
Thanks for sharing, friend! <3
Oh my god
😉 <3
Ogods! Biting fingernails to bits over here!
Thanks, L-desu – hope you enjoy the next part…! <3
Ahhhhh!!!! Cliffhanger!!!! I’m so excited to see how this turns out..
Thanks, Kathy! Hope you enjoy where things go from here <3
I would sealed the well! He’s crazy. Sesshoumaru is up to no good by staying away…maybe he’s dreading the Inuyasha confrontation.
XD thanks for sharing, Redwolf! <3
AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
<3 <3
Oh wow! I’m teetering here! But he came to her world to see her. I’m so excited to see how this all plays out!
Thank you, Delys! Hope you enjoy the next update…! <3
SCREAMING ETERNALLY PART 2
Hahaha! Thanks, hanayome! <3
They’ve been needing to talk! It’s about time!
Yup, it’s time! Thanks, Maya <3
PLEASE CHAR DONT DO THIS TO ME I NEED THE NEXT PART SOFNSKFNSKNDKSKSA
XDD sorry for the dirty cliffhanger, bella! <3
The Talk 😱 Here we go
Surely the people in the Modern Era couldn’t think too badly of Kagome stealing medicine considering her history of terrible ‘illnesses’. Most likely her classmates thought she tried her best to survive but she didn’t make it after high school 😔🪦
“The Talk 😱” – hahah love this!
You raise an interesting point about Kagome’s crazy ‘medical history’ – hope you enjoy what happens next, friend!! <3
Oof, dodging questions from Inu-niichan’s no.1 fan 😅 Just focus on playing with your nephew, Souta.
Is this another calm before the storm moment? What happened in those few days? I’M TENSE.
“What happened in those few days?” – what indeed… 😉
Thanks for sharing, Inupapa!! <3
Finally we’ll find out how much Inuyasha actually knew (or didn’t know). And… *SWEATS*
SHIN’S CUSTODY
Yepp it’s a fateful moment…!
Thanks for sharing, oskorreia!! <3
Shin as the litmus test for cursed objects XD Mystic detector with puppy ear antennas XDD
–
It was as if all the years since she’d gone down the well had never existed. Standing in her own room, Kagome felt like a stranger, like a wandering ghost.
–
Too true, Kagome’s heart had been spirited away by the youkai a long time ago. She neither belongs to her old Higurashi home or the village, but she seemed so at ease at the youkai waycastle. You know when they say don’t eat of faerie fruit and whatnot, it’s already too late for her.
Can’t wait to see what happens next! Did Inu fight Sesshoumaru? Did he come to some sort of a Decision? Ooooh 👀
“Too true, Kagome’s heart had been spirited away by the youkai a long time ago.” – love how you put this!
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on the scene, sesshousimp! Hope you enjoy the next chapter…! <3
I’m locking in 100% for this upcoming talk🧐 What’s Inuyasha been thinking all this time? I’m assuming she never put her wedding ring back on, so did he even notice that she hasn’t been wearing it for months now? There’s a lot to unpack!!!
Poor Shin must be going stir crazy here though. He used to range from village to forest but now he’s gotta hide in the compound. This baby is buzzing with energy 🐕⚡
“There’s a lot to unpack!!!” – most definitely!
Haha yeah Shin can’t romp around so easily in this modern setting, poor baby XD Thanks for sharing, Kova, and hope you enjoy the next part! <3
wouldn’t it be great if shin could go out freely🥲 i’ve read several hc’s here and there that the sengoku jidai kagome travels to is an alternate timeline (mostly because of the generated noh mask ep, who had the shard in the present when kagome should’ve wished them all away in the past). anyway, it’s nice to think that 500 years later shin would still be able to roam freely as himself in the human world.
i’m looking forward to the talk. this is gonna be heavy.
Oooh I had forgotten about the Noh mask episode…that’s very intriguing!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the scene, rehizakki! Hope you enjoy the next part!! <3
i was hoping that future sesshoumaru would have been the person at the door. >_< inuyasha about to chew her head off.
Haha we’ll see 😉
Thanks for sharing, Kimiko! <3