With nowhere else to go, Kagome returned to the castle.
Damaged though it was, it was the most solid structure still standing in Edo. The courtyards and approach had become a refugee camp of sorts—men hammered and hefted while women scurried about from tent to tent, checking in with one another and tending to the wounded. At the sight of Kagome, their conversations hushed and ceased. Bandaged soldiers nodded to her as she passed. Children paused in their play to stare after her.
What must they think of me, she wondered dimly. Then: what does it matter?
Like Miroku had said, what was done was done.
“Stop fussing over me! Don’t you have men to command?”
“I wanted to see how you were.”
“I am fine—as I told you this morning. Only your hovering disturbs me. Go away.”
Rounding a corner, Kagome saw Kanako sitting up in her tent, glowering as she braided her wispy hair. Winged helmet in hand, Uetsugi stood by her bedroll, his armored bulk shielding Kagome from view. Glimpsing her at last as she edged past him, Kanako abandoned her task and slipped back beneath the sheets.
“Uetsugi-dono,” Kagome greeted, before her glance slid aside. “Kanako-chan. How are you?”
“Oh, Kagome-sama,” the waif sighed pitifully, reaching for Kagome as Uestugi’s heavy brow creased in a frown. “I am doing a little better today…”
“That’s good.” Giving her scabbed temple a cursory once-over from where she stood, Kagome turned to Uetsugi as Kanako whimpered, put-out. “Have you seen my apprentice, by chance?”
“She was tending to the graves last I saw her, my lady.”
With a nod of thanks, Kagome started to leave as Kanako scrambled up and clasped her sleeve. “Wait a moment, Kagome-sama, and I will go with you.”
Kagome’s mouth quirked at the corner as her eyes slanted back. “You’d better rest awhile longer, Kanako-chan—you still seem faint to me. Doesn’t she, Uetsugi-dono?”
“Aye, my lady,” the soldier replied, taking Kanako’s sulky glare in stride.
Clearly, he was accustomed to them. Intimately familiar even, Kagome wagered. Glancing between them, the miko shook her head and went on her way. Kanako’s ‘friend’ in the barracks, indeed.
…
A short way from the castle, Kagome followed the well-worn path to Edo shrine. Upwind of the fires and uphill of the flood, the graveyard had survived remarkably intact. Kagome frowned at the irony, as she surveyed the rows of graves, both old and new. Somehow her eyes avoided Inuyasha’s, and she felt a dull stab of shame.
The grave Rin knelt before was raised and new. With the stone masons overwhelmed, most of the interred remains bore wooden markers for the present, but this one was marked by a pillar of dark, glittering granite.
Scarcely lighter than the stone that framed it, the characters Mizuno Rennosuke glared out at Kagome, cold and sharp. Incense curled through the air as she waited for Rin to finish praying. Brown eyes, soft with melancholy, drifted open as the young miko turned with her head still bowed.
“Kagome-chan…were you looking for me?”
“I was,” the miko replied, her eyes trailing over the stone. “How often do you come here?”
“As often as I can,” Rin said, rising slowly. “It’s all I can do for him now.”
Kagome frowned. “You shouldn’t feel so guilty, Rin-chan.”
“But I do.” Wretchedly, Rin looked back to Ren’s grave. “I killed him, Kagome-chan. He was supposed to be my husband, and I killed him.”
“Because he was trying to kill me first—don’t forget that.”
“Still,” Rin said, swallowing faintly. “Even still, he is dead.”
“Trust me, he had it coming to him. Sooner or later, he was going to end up like this.” Kagome’s expression hardened. “They always do.”
“He was a wicked man,” Rin agreed, “but he wanted me.” Her voice fell to a wounded murmur. “Who will want me now?”
“Oh, Rin-chan…” Kagome sighed, stepping forward as Rin touched a hand to her stomach. This fleeting, absent motion halted the miko in her tracks. “No,” she bit out. “Don’t tell me—you can’t be…”
Miserably, the girl met her gaze, her eyes brimming with tears. “I couldn’t keep it down—the tea that you gave me. I tried, but it made me so ill. I’m sorry, Kagome-chan—I’m so, so sorry…”
Hugging Rin around the shoulders as she sobbed, Kagome pressed a hand to her lips to still their trembling. “Rin-chan…I’m sorry, too.”
Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
OHH SHITTT Rinnn 😩 Poor girl! Also, love Kanako and Ut’s dynamic lol
Yayy so glad you enjoyed it! Had fun writing their little interaction 😉
<3
Part of me feels like Rin asked for this. Who’s baby is it really though? Didn’t she have sex with Kohaku too even though he took advantage if I remember correctly? Where’s Maury when you need him? She better pray that baby is Kohaku’s instead of to a grave with a bastard filled with maggots laying in it. I could see Kohaku taking care of his child at least and marrying her for the sake of duty at first and then coming to appreciate her. 🥲
“Where’s Maury when you need him?” – XDDD we need Maury: Feudal Edition ASAP
Thanks so much for sharing!! <3
Damn, I knew Rin was pregnant! There was no other logical explanation for the desperation of her actions. I assume Kohaku doesn’t know, but this turn casts him as even more of a loathsome demon than he’d seemed before. But perhaps that was your intent all along. Part of the intrigue of Control seems to be an opportunity to tease out and explore the darker impulses of the Inuyasha cast—and follow them to their inevitable conclusions. We’ve seen Kagome’s pathological need for control, Miroku’s indolence and indulgence, Rin’s exceptionalism and impulsiveness, Sango’s ruthless pragmatism, Kohaku’s hero complex, and Sesshoumaru’s damnable pride and possessiveness. It’s like a Sophocles tragedy—if everyone had taken slightly different actions (not giving in to their fatal flaws) so much tragedy could have been avoided. I am fascinated to see where the story goes from here—will it end as a comedy or a tragedy?
Thanks for all your hard work, as always!
Thank you, Alex!! Yep you called it with Rin 🙂
“Part of the intrigue of Control seems to be an opportunity to tease out and explore the darker impulses of the Inuyasha cast—and follow them to their inevitable conclusions.” – ahh thank you so much for this! It really is a comedy of errors in many ways… <3
I was reading into a lot of parallels with this one. Mostly in how Kagome was talking to Rin about her *dead husband*.
I’ve long suspected it was Kagome who killed Inuyasha- I don’t believe you’ve mentioned how he died- so that little exchange had my senses tingling a bit. If I’m on the right track, it seems to lead me to the circumstances of his death resembling Ren’s somewhat. Idk, the way you wrote it made me think of Inuyasha losing himself to his demon side and attacking Kagome.
I also keep thinking about Rin’s fortune, and the powerful warlord who is going to take her life. Will it be her child? Kohaku? Sesshoumaru even? (perhaps unintentionally?) I thought it might be Ren, but I’m pleased to see it isn’t!
Very curious how Sesshoumaru is going to handle all these recent developments. Also very curious where her 4-legged protector has been. He seems to stand in as Sess’s proxy in his absence, but he’s been MIA recently…
So much to weigh, and so hard to say lol. But I’m having fun guessing- its like a mystery, or a puzzle 😉
Thanks so much for the update!!
Woah–that’s an interesting theory! I’d love to know more about what led you to that conclusion. The circumstances of his death are murky for sure–all we really know is that he was beheaded and there was a dragon involved. I had assumed it was one of Hirokin’s kin, but your theory would add interesting nuance and parallels. Especially with Sesshoumaru and Kagome echoing each other when referring to their dead mates–“She/He was mine.” Spooky.
All I can say is I love where your mind’s at, susie! 😉 <3
Love hearing your thoughts and theories! Thanks so much & hope you enjoy how it all comes together 🙂 <3