Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Strawberry Summer	By : QueenoftheDream Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > Kouga/Kagome Views: 3312 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I make any money in writing this fic.

Chapter List
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April 6, 1886
The day previous passed without further incident. The ranch operated as per the usual, its movements perhaps greased by the addition of Koga’s efforts. The family retreated to the house for supper, and Koga bade Kagome good night before turning to eat his meal in Josephine and Michael’s cabin.
The following morning, however, had a rough start. Kagome awoke at the usual hour to begin her chores and found to her dismay that a fox or some sort of vermin had once again attempted to gnaw and climb through the wire around the chicken yard during the night. This, in turn, caused the hens to all be in an irritated and foul disposition. Josephine was attending to something else, leaving Kagome to try to wrangle eggs out from underneath the smelly, cranky hens.
After gathering the eggs and earning a few stinging scratches to her hands, Kagome headed to the barn to milk Peaches. Pausing outside the door, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. If the animals picked up on her sour attitude, they could make things very difficult and in turn, worsen her mood. She lit the lamp, noting that the kerosene was nearly gone, and began putting feed in each of the troughs. She picked up the pail and wooden stool and stepped into Peaches’ stall to begin milking.
All was going well until one of the pigs squealed in the still, quiet morning air, which frightened the cow. She only started slightly, but it was enough to kick the bucket over on accident. Kagome reached for it as quickly as she could, but all but about half an inch of milk had been lost on the floor. She closed her eyes, mentally reminding herself that swearing and punching completely innocent barnyard animals was beastly, let alone unladylike. Thus, she finished the milking and exited the barn in a far grouchier mood than she had gone into it with.
The less than full pail was left in its usual spot on the porch, and on the way back to the barn, she saw Sota lugging buckets from the well. At least she didn’t have to do his work again. Upon reentering the structure, she found Koga cleaning out the enclosures with the pitchfork.
“G’morning, Miss Walker,” he announced cordially without looking up. After all, dropping a heaping pile of manure was a less-than-desired event that excused lack of flawless etiquette.
“Good morning, Mr. Allen,” Kagome replied, put in better spirits since the cleaning of the stalls was taken care of. It wasn’t the worst job, but if someone was willing to do it for her, she certainly wasn’t going to say no.
That left her to instead check on Kitty, their newest mare. Kitty was acquired several months previously in the autumn from an old gambler that needed cash more than a work horse.
Imagine the Walkers’ surprise when, a number of months later, they discovered that Kitty was in a rather delicate condition. It seems that they had paid for one horse but were getting two.
The slight-boned horse was munching on some cool, dewy grass near the pasture fence. Kagome approached, squinting as the sun passed behind a block of dark rain clouds approaching from the west. Kitty looked up hesitantly, and Kagome smiled and crooned at the small black mare. She ran her hand along the horse’s flank, marveling at how swollen the belly looked. Her rear muscles were loose and relaxed, and a quick crouch revealed to Kagome that the udders were waxed. Within the next few days, hopefully they would have a healthy little foal.
No one knew if she was bred before, so how Kitty would perform during the labor and nursing was anyone’s guess. Kagome did harbor some anxiety about the whole thing, since losing a horse was losing an investment and thus losing a potential profit. Still, she reminded herself that the horse was in Michael’s good hands. He was in charge of the care of the horses for a reason. The man was practically a horse whisperer, and they had gotten lucky enough to have someone like him working on their ranch.
By the time she reached the front porch again, the sky had let down a soft bout of sprinkling that turned into a steady rain. The inside of the house was shadowy with the lack of sunlight, and Kagome could hear her grandfather grumbling at the kitchen table, waiting for her mother to serve him his breakfast. Kagome took the time to fill everyone’s cups with milk before sitting down at her seat. Sota said nothing as their mother handed each person their plate, and the family sat down to a quiet, awkward meal. Tension hung thick in the air. Already testy, Kagome broke the silence.
“Is there something wrong, Mother? Did I not churn the butter long enough yesterday? If so, my apologies.” Her mother said nothing, but took a sip of milk and pursed her lips tight. Kagome’s eyebrows drew close together.
With a heavy sigh, Kagome put down her fork. “If there’s a problem, nothing can be done if nobody knows what it is.” Sota cautiously looked over, and their mother’s head jerked up.
“A bad attitude never loosened any tongues.” Kagome mumbled an apology in response, but was still equal parts curious and worried about what was causing her mother’s touchy mood. She didn’t have to wait long before her mother pinned her under her gaze.
“You’ve been tailing that new boy like a… well. Regardless, your behavior as of late has been slovenly. Not only is he hired help, but an Indian at that. Think of what the neighbors would say!”
Kagome practically scoffed. “Well, I’m part Indian, and so is Sota. And you’re even more so. Why is it a crime if the young man is as well? What makes him different from us?” Her mother’s scowl was withering.
“You are not to conduct yourself improperly with that boy, and that is final. Young Joseph Hopkins is a good choice. He fancies you for a wife, not for a dirty roll in the hay that would ruin you and the family name.”
By that point, Sota and Grandfather had both set down their utensils to watch the argument.
“Assuming I was acting inappropriately, which I haven’t been, who is to say that Mr. Allen wouldn’t want me for a wife as well? You’re making assumptions as to the nature of his character, and you don’t even know him.”
“And neither do you,” her mother retorted. Kagome rolled her eyes.
Her mother slammed her hands down on the table; her eyes clenched shut in a rare display of anger. “You know what he is, and he’s a stranger on top of that! He would ruin you.”
Kagome jumped to her feet, sending her chair skidding backward. “What?! What do you mean, ‘what he is?’ His blood doesn’t make him a criminal any more than yours or mine does.”
Her mother sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, but Kagome knew the argument was not over. It was a simply a temporary truce. “I only want you to be happy, Kagome. I want what’s best for you, and he is most certainly not what is best for you. Listen to me, please,” she said stonily, practically glaring daggers up at her daughter.
Kagome gritted her teeth and pushed her empty plate forward. “Thank you for the breakfast, Mother,” she ground out, and then she turned to walk back outside.
She heard her grandfather gripe, “Damned Injuns. Should have wiped out all the filthy little savages when we had the chance. When I was a young man…” She had to remind herself that slamming the door would only make things worse, not to mention probably break the door.
If he thought that Indians were so terrible, why did he allow his son to marry a half-breed woman, who in turn produced his only two grandchildren? Sure, she was far from proud of her heritage, but it wasn’t something that she let define her. Of course, that was mostly because very few people actually knew about it. Kagome was fuming, staring angrily at her boots as she charged ahead, when she walked straight into someone.
With a gasp, she stepped aside and saw Koga looking down at her blankly. She issued a brief apology before storming off to continue her daily chores.
The rest of the day had not improved. Walking past the stack of firewood, she spied a rattlesnake slithering among the logs and quickly decapitated it with a shovel. Either it was simply lost, or the property had mice or rats that it was hunting. Whatever the reason was for it being there, it was bad news for both the human and animal denizens of the ranch. She made a mental note to pry the cat out of whatever hole it was hiding in and set it to town just in case they’d gotten mice again.
Later, she was nearly mowed down by the pigs, which had gotten out of their pen. No sooner had she wrestled the two beasts back into the barn did an agonized shout echo across the property.
Michael had somehow managed to trip in the pasture and break his collarbone. While Sota and Josephine fussed about him and took him back to his cabin, Kagome continued her work. His injury just meant that there was that much more work for each of them to divide up. Thankfully the break wasn’t bad, but it definitely was enough to put him out of commission for a few days, or until the bone had somewhat stabilized and his pain was under control.
The day remained overcast and grey, and supper was eaten in silence. After feeding the leftovers to the pigs, Kagome headed back to the barn for Peaches’ evening milking. No buckets were tipped to Kagome’s great relief, and by the time she finished, she was completely exhausted.
She walked to the house as quickly as her feet could take her. Hastily, she washed and braided her hair before changing into a nightgown. Her eyes were closed before her head even hit the pillow.
She was abruptly woken, however, by a hand roughly shaking her shoulder. She unintelligibly grumbled before squinting up in the dark. It was Sota, and he looked terrified.
“Kitty. It’s Kitty,” he blurted, panting as if he’d run a marathon. “Michael says it’s taking too long. Something’s wrong with either her or the foal, so get up. Get up! We have to get to the stable right now!” Kagome threw off the covers and padded quickly down the stairs, slipping into her boots and rushing out the door without tying the laces.
There were several lamps lit in the stable, and Michael was perched upon a stool, sitting awkwardly with his arm hanging limp in a makeshift sling. His face was pale and his mouth was set in a grimace of pain, but she was glad of his presence. Kagome bustled past him and into the stall where she saw Koga pushing and pulling two legs sticking out from behind Kitty, earning a groan from the distressed mare. The floor was slicked with fluid, and the atmosphere was tense.
Koga immediately filled her in, and she could tell by his voice that he was tired. “We think the foal’s head is stuck or bent back. I’m too big and Michael is out of service.” He stepped out of the stall and the horse shifted in discomfort from foot to foot.
“But Sota-“
“He’s gone back to the house already.” Sure enough, Kagome turned and her brother was nowhere to be seen. “You’re the only one who’s got a small enough arm.” He was panting, looking at her expectantly.
“What do you mean?” she asked. “You don’t mean for me to stick my arm-“
“Yup,” Koga interrupted as he yanked her right arm, pulling her toward him. He unceremoniously pushed the long sleeve of her wool nightgown up to the shoulder and greased her arm. He then took Kitty’s tail and held it aloft.
With his and Michael’s guidance, she was able to get her arm in and immediately felt the horse’s muscles clamp down hard as a contraction ripped through her body. She let out a cry of alarm, and Kitty shuffled in place, jostling Kagome. She could feel the foal’s bony legs pressing against the underside of her forearm.
“Grab a leg and follow it back to the chest,” Michael instructed once the muscles relaxed, watching the scene like a hawk. Koga stood next to her, ready to offer assistance.
“Found its chest,” she said through clenched teeth. She didn’t even want to know what the sleeve and breast of her nightgown looked like.
“Good. Now follow the chest up the neck and to the head. See if the head is facing sideways or if it’s even close to the front at all.” She prayed the foal wasn’t too twisted up because it was taking all of her energy and strength just to push against the horse’s natural instincts and muscle movements. She could feel her hair sticking to her sweaty forehead and neck.
The horse clamped down again, and the foal’s body lurched forward a bit before settling back in. Kagome set her mouth in a hard line as tears nearly came to her eyes. The contraction ebbed, and she trailed her fingers up until she found what she could only guess was the very edge of the jawline.
“Its head is turned back and to the side I think. I can’t reach its face,” she panted.
“You’ll need to turn it until it’s facing the front legs,” Michael coached. She tried grabbing the jaw, but her hand kept sliding around the slicked flesh.
“Wait for her to tense again, and when she starts to push, yank the legs forward and get back in there so you can reach the face.” As if on cue, the hot muscles bore down, squeezing Kagome’s arm so hard she could feel her fingers start to tingle. The horse groaned and started to shuffle until Koga stilled her. Kagome extracted her arm and pulled on the foal’s front legs with a grunt, and then hurried back in. She inched her fingers up the chest and neck and was able to find the foal's nostrils. Luckily, it had shifted just enough that she was able to hook her finger inside the corner of its mouth.
“I think I got nngh,” she called out as her arm was smashed once more by another vicious contraction of the muscles.
“Fantastic. Here’s the hard bit,” Michael started. “Koga, roll up her other sleeve. You’ll have to keep your grip on its head, but push its body further back with your other hand. This way, it will realign the foal. Then, you’ll have to pull on the legs quickly before it suffocates, if it hasn’t already. Hopefully, the thing’s still alive,” Michael instructed. Kagome was gripped by fear as Koga hurriedly pushed her sleeve up and greased her left arm. What if she’d failed to save it in time? What if she’d hurt it? She had to shove those thoughts to the back of her mind as she tried to reposition the foal.
If she wasn’t tired before this debacle, she was then. She was surprised how difficult it was to maneuver the foal without her hands slipping everywhere. On top of that, with both arms in the business end of the horse, there was very limited room for movement of her arms. Finally, after much huffing, heaving, groaning, and grunting, she was able to reposition its head facing forwards. She gave a small inner hoorah of victory before grabbing the two front legs and pulling as Kitty began heaving and pushing.
Her hands slipped from the foal’s front legs, and she fell backward. She quickly righted herself, however, and Koga stepped behind her and wrapped his large hands along the foal’s legs as well. The sturdiness of his chest gave her the leverage she needed, and with a protracted groan, they pulled the foal free. It lay in a mushy heap on the straw even when Koga quickly knelt to make sure it was breathing. She felt panic rise up in her throat as Koga gently pulled her out of the stall. To her relief, however, the foal began stirring. She let out a relieved laugh.
“Let’s get cleaned up now, shall we?” Koga offered as Michael stood and sleepily trudged back to his cabin. There was already a bucket full of cold, soapy water and a rag waiting, and Koga quickly wiped his hands free of muck. Kagome sat on the stool and wearily began cleaning the grime from her arms. One look down at her nightclothes told her that the gown either needed several vigorous washes or a toss in the fire. Her back leaned against a wooden beam as she ran the cloth down her arms.
The next thing she knew, something was lightly gripping her shoulder. “Take a look. Everything’s turned out all right,” Koga murmured. The pair walked quietly back to Kitty’s large stall and saw the foal was nursing successfully. A warm smile crept across Kagome’s face. She flung her messy braid over her shoulder as she gazed fondly at her handiwork, rubbing her pruny hands together in the chilly night air.
“It’s really something, isn’t it?” she crooned.
“Sure is,” Koga replied, standing at her shoulder. “You were really something back there.” She looked away modestly, but he persisted. “No, I mean it. We could have lost them both without your help. You were invaluable, Miss Kagome.”
Her face lit up in a sleepy smile, and a warm, tingly sensation spread through her chest. Koga was still holding her loosely by the left elbow. “Let’s get you to the house so you can get back to bed, Miss.” She nodded, turning to get one last look at the tiny foal before they exited the stable and walked in the dark along the path to the porch.
Koga let go of her elbow, and she mounted the steps before turning to face him. “Thank you, Mr. Allen.”
“No, thank you. Now go on up and get back to bed. I’ll see you around the yard in the morning.”
As Kagome climbed the stairs to her room and peeled off the horrifying nightgown, exhaustion washed over her. She had barely stuck her arms into the other gown before she drifted into a content sleep.

Note: Rosa (Sango)’s name has been changed to Josephine, as I realized that it might confuse readers to have Rosa the lady and Rosie the horse.

Just to make one thing clear: I do not condone racism against Native Americans or any other peoples. The use of derogatory slang in this fic was sadly part of the everyday vocabulary in the western United States at the time.
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Strawberry Summer