Though Kagome sensed Sesshoumaru around, she avoided him. As though sensing her desire to avoid him—maybe in fact sensing this—Sesshoumaru didn’t approach her. Then again, even if they’d wanted to, their opportunities to fuck around were limited. True to his word, Inuyasha was present more in Edo now, since he’d given up his mercenary contracts and taken on extermination missions with Kohaku and his taijiya clansmen instead.
Inuyasha seemed happier. Shin seemed happier. Sango and her children seemed happier. Just about everyone seemed happier with this change of circumstance except for Kagome herself.
She felt restless, claustrophobic. Every day was the same, a mind-numbing tedium that left her feeling borderline hysterical. And the worst of it was, she didn’t see any end in sight.
So when Toutousai came to Edo to see to Tessaiga and to tutor Sango in youkai-arms smithing, Kagome took the opportunity to visit with him more out of sheer desperation than anything else. She waited until he was alone, lazing around under the shade of a hilltop tree, with his three-eyed cow dozing at his back. At Kagome’s approaching footstep, the demon cow lowed. Toutousai’s bulbous eyes blinked over at her groggily.
“Hmph,” he said, rubbing at them, “have I overslept?”
Kagome didn’t know how to answer that. She didn’t even realize he’d been sleeping.
“I don’t think so,” she said, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry if I disturbed you.”
Toutousai waved a clawed hand, yawning toothily. “Eh, no matter. How can I help you, priestess?”
“Well, not me, exactly.” She pointed to the baby peeping out from the sling at her chest. “It’s my son I wanted to talk to you about. I’d like to commission a sword for him, something like Tessaiga. To be a safeguard for him in the future.”
Toutousai’s eyes swiveled up from Shin to her and back again. “Tessaiga? But, this babe is human. He cannot wield a youki-fed blade.”
“He’s part-demon,” Kagome said carefully.
“Eh?”
“I know he doesn’t look that way at the moment,” she persisted. “But trust me, he is.”
Toutousai scratched at his wispy head. “Well,” he drawled, “there is one way to know for sure.”
Kagome gasped. With a brisk rush of youki, Toutousai transformed as she’d never seen him do before. It wasn’t much of a transformation—only a partial one, she suspected—but it was frightful all the same. His elderly persona vanished. In his fey, ageless face, his huge bug-eyes shrank sharp and dark-slitted into their sockets—their sclera a vitriolic blood-red.
As crimson and searing as Kirara’s.
“Ah,” Toutousai said, his demonic red eyes narrowing upon Shin, “now I see…”
Even Toutousai’s voice had smoothened and deepened an octave. Kagome clutched Shin to her, feeling how rigid he’d gone and thinking he was deathly afraid. Then she glanced down at her son’s face and saw that he was glaring at Toutousai in a human approximation of bristling aggression. His reiki buffeted against her, a cool-burning blue flame.
Kagome’s eyes returned warily to Toutousai, as he returned to his usual self again. “What did you see?”
“Hmm,” he said, twirling his grey goatee like he’d already missed it, “I suppose I could show you. Set the boy on the ground, would you?”
Now that Toutousai wasn’t so searingly demonic, Shin had calmed. Kagome slipped him from his carrier sling and sat him on the withered grass. From a hidden pocket in his striped kimono, Toutousai produced a small golden hammer. Kagome’s brow furrowed. But before she could even think what it meant, Toutousai swung the hammer down. As it pinged sharply off Shin’s forehead, drawing blood, she screamed.
“Oh my God!” She whirled upon Toutousai, ripping the hammer from him before he could even think to swing it again and clobbering him over the head. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”
She snatched up her son, scanning him over. He looked slightly dazed, and no wonder. A bright red arc of blood was seeping above his eyes. Kagome frowned at the emerging shape of it, before her baby blazed so scorchingly hot in her arms that she had to set him down again.
Hands clasped to her mouth, Kagome stared horror-struck at her son. Before her very eyes, all the color drained from his hair, his irises. Through a small swirling gale of youki, he transformed—not into a beast, but into something else. Something equally demonic. His hair silvered. His eyes gilded. Ivory fangs glinted from his mouth, ivory claws from his little fingers. A jagged lightning-bolt of crimson split across each of his tiny cheeks—as crimson as the crescent mark glowing from his brow.
Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
Revised 1/30/24
Ommggggg Totosai, did you just unlock Shin’s third form?
I love this fic sooo much I’ve been coming to your website repeatedly this week, checking for an update. -And you did not disappoint! I’m honestly going to reread it from start again this weekend because I’m that enthralled by it! So good! 🤩
Yay that’s so wonderful to hear!! So thrilled you’re enjoying this latest turn of events – and the story in general! Thanks for sharing & hope you enjoy the next update! <3
I same as the other person visit this site frequently!
What happened to the rest?? I love this story. And love that Shin has changed. Finally
Thank you, Katherine!! So happy to hear you’re a frequent visitor – glad you enjoyed Shin’s transformation here! <3
Remember I said maybe Sesshomaru was hiding Shin’s real form or something? Now I wish to know how he did it🤔
Char, been missing you for a while. But happy to read you are an engaged woman now😍💝
Thanks so much, Warring Star!! Appreciate the kind words & love hearing your thoughts and theories, as always!! <3
A DAI FORM!! Rather than half and half blooded he’s more like a full eclipse?? Perfectly one and the other so maybe he doesn’t need a sword?? Either way Shin is so endlessly cute aaaaa 💖💕
Also Toutousai’s dead if Big Bad Baby Daddy had smelled that blood 🤣 Can’t wait to see where it goes from here!
Lol yeah doesn’t seem like something Sess would take kindly to… XD
Thanks so much for sharing, friend! So glad you’re stoked to see what happens next!! <3
Wow….now THIS is an interesting turn of events, and it confirms a few of my suspicions.
The plot thickens,😮💨 my poor blood pressure, lol this story keeps me on pins and needles!
Thank you for another update!🩵
Yay, thanks, Maya!! So glad you’re enjoying the suspense! Will try not to keep you waiting on pins & needles too long! 😉
<3
The plot thickensssss
Yep yep! <3 <3
Now someone else knows too! Oh god I hope Totosai doesn’t end up dead from this… yikes.
Also congratulations on your engagement!
Yep another person in the know now….
Thanks so much for sharing, M-yan! And thank you for the congrats!! <3
LOL…GOTCHA Kagome! The old sword Smith knows her deceitful secret. Inuyasha will leave her in an instant, that is if he doesn’t kill her first! I wonder if Sesshoumaru will let her get rough up a bit or save her. Kagome is one silly acting little girl in a woman’s body. Thanks for the update.
Thanks for sharing, Redwolf! Glad you enjoyed the update!! <3
Holy shit, now i really don’t know where this is headed and it’s wild…. I can’t wait to see how this ends! And it’ll be Toutousai that lets the cat outta the bag?? I’m sure he can tell between Inuyasha’s and Sesshoumaru’s blood straightaway… eeeeeeeeee
But also, Happy Engagement! I hope you have a loving and blissful relationship! Mucho congratulations!
Toutousai’s certainly been around the block once or twice 😉
Thanks so much for sharing, Mecca! And thank you for the congrats & well wishes! Much appreciated <3
Is the secret out?!? And through Toutousai of all people? XD He would definitely know that the crescent moon is the Western Lady’s heritage, but did Shin also inherit Touga’s cheek stripes? Is that what he has?
Oh well, Kagome. It’s been a good run 🏳️ If Shin’s form is what will force it out in the open, then really, who would be surprised? He’ll inevitably take on more of his sire’s traits as he grows. But judging by how agitated Kagome’s become maybe this is what she wants all along.
Ahh lots of excellent points made all around, my friend! Thanks so much for sharing your take on the scene – love hearing your thoughts & hope you enjoy the next part…! <3
Yasssssss CHAR you always amaze me with another chapter ‼️🥰 thank you for this ❤️ now Toutousai is another person who know that’s Sesshomaru son bc we know that crescent didn’t come from inuyasha dad or mom 🤣‼️
Hahaha yeah the inner circle is getting larger and larger…
Thanks for sharing, Nooch!! <3
Omg 😏 the cat is almost out the bag! The anticipation is killing me! Great chapter!!
😉 😉 Things are heating up!
So glad you enjoyed the chapter, SilverMoon – thanks for sharing!! <3