Heya, First time on this pairing, but I hope you like it. Please R&R, and I don't mind constructive criticism. Tell meh what you think! Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Rumiko Takahashi's Inu-Yasha.
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It happened so quickly that the taiyoukai could only see the bottom of green hakama pants, and hear the soft screams of a girl-child as his world went back. There was pain coming in from every nerve and his consciousness would not leave. Something, a green magic, was holding him awake. There was a cruel laughing beyond the dark. Male voices where there too. They spoke of him, jibes at the lord of the west and his pathetic strength. Pride had his mind shaking in rage though his body would not react.
"Sesshomaru-sama, if you want your little princess back bring us the miko Kagome to Mutsu in the North. And please milord, do not forget the full jewel she carries..."
~~
The night was cold. Sango, pregnant to the bursting, was trying not to topple over in laughter. Shippo, a kitsune youkai, had decided that he wanted a snowball fight since the group had woken up that morning to a white landscape. Her husband and best friend had obliged him, she was only able to lean against a make-shift fence and laugh. The teams had turned out to be Kagome and Shippo, against Miroku, and Miroku was winning. They had finally found something he excelled in besides attracting women. Well...that wasn't really fair to him. Since meeting Miroku the houshi five years ago she had discovered he was persistent, loyal, and soft spoken. He rarely seemed to get mad, which was nice since she knew that her personality was that of a bombshell. This was especially true since her pregnancy, thankfully Kagome had been able to bring medicines from her time that softened her angry feelings; she said the feelings were cause by something called 'hormones'. It had taken a while to understand, but the miko had explained them out until Sango could repeat the information with understanding.
That was one of Sango's most dear memories of her friend. Kagome, now nearing her twentieth year, had learned the feudal script from a monk passing through town. He had been amazed at her quick learning ability, however Kagome had explained to her later that the script was no terribly different from what was used in her time. From that she had started teaching the kitsune to read and write. It was during one of these sessions that Sango's curious look had caught her attention and it had come to light that the Taijiya had little schooling other then that from her village. This included the names of places and numbers. Kagome had quickly amended the situation. Now, with Sango having full control of language, Kagome brought back material for learning from her time.
Miroku's yell brought the demon slayer back from thought and the sight was enough to push her into early labour. From what she understood he was running from Shippo that had transformed into a snowball and had reformed to a kitsune inches from her husbands face. The speed at which Kagome had thrown the 'snowball' was enough that upon transformation Shippo ended up pile driving Miroku into the snow drift behind him. One hand rested gently on the round belly.
"Did he kick again?"
Sango was startled. Kagome laughed and leaned against a post. She watched the goings on around the village before turning her head back to her adopted son and friend. They were still arguing, neither acknowledging himself to being the loser. The miko's soft brown eyes flicked to her friends stomach and she sighed: "I still can't believe you're going to be a mother."
"In all honesty I'm genuinely surprised it took so long. Had I still be at the village I would have certainly been married off by now with many children. But yes, it catches me at loss sometimes as well. And you should stop calling it a boy. Miroku will tell you that -" Sango was cut short by her friend who mimicked the houshi with a smile.
"It's going to be a girl with chocolate eyes and a mouth just like her mothers' and that she will turn out to have all her mothers looks and her fathers qualities." Kagome finished the rant and giggled. "May the Gods help you if she ends up being a lecher Sango."
The mother-to-be rolled her eyes at the very idea. "If it's a she there will be no lecherous ways at all. I can't let her go around like the women in some of your romance stories Kagome. No man would have her."
It was true. Kagome found the idea a little sad. She thought it would be funny to have a female Miroku running around, but Sango was right. This time was not friendly to women without morals. Sango had enough trouble asserting herself as the great demon-slayer that had a hand in destroying Naraku a year ago. Men just could not seem to wrap their minds around the idea. Thankfully Miroku enjoyed a smart female, insisting that one entirely without brains would not hold his interest long.
"Perhaps we should go inside now? I don't want to catch a chill and hurt the baby." Sango shivered slightly. As a twenty-second birthday present, Sango being born in the early winter, Kagome had bought her a very expensive pair of boots from the future. She had them made specially so that they resembled footwear in the feudal age, but included a rubber sole and a layer of water-proof plastic between the leather exterior and wool interior. Sango wore those boots everyday, but even they could not protect her entirely. Kagome nodded a response with the promise to make her friend a hot-chocolate for her to sip before supper.
~~
"Master Sesshomaru! Wake up please! Oh god, oh god, oh god..."
The Inu lord opened his eyes and immediately put a hand to his forehead. The gesture didn't stop the searing pain in his temple. He watched his caretaker run around aimlessly in circles mumbling in that annoying voice that was so uniquely Jaken. Ah and Un lay close to him. The two headed dragon was clearly upset, but kept the regal presence they felt the master would approve of while still showing distress. "What happened Jaken," His eyes searched for what couldn't be found, "and where is Rin?"
Jaken stopped and seemed genuinely scared to find his masters eyes. This was not unusual, however the fact that their gazes did finally meet was; Jaken never looked him in the eye. Ever. His toad-like body was quivering in fear and the green beaky mouth could not decided whether to stay open or shut. "I do not know sire. You have been asleep for days. We have not seen the child since the priestess in green hakama took her."
Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. So the last thing he had seen was a miko. A powerful miko if she could shield his senses of her approach. He vaguely remembered something about the North and the breeding-age bitch that his brother kept along. Rage rushed to his eyes, bleeding them red. His body began to quiver as bones shifted and cracked inside his body. The breeding-bitch knew something! Else they wouldn't have requested her presence with him! He would kill her for giving the green witch any information regarding his ward.
"My Lord. PLEASE! What are you doing?" Jaken's voice seemed to be higher pitched than normal, but it did not matter. The lord of the West refused to listen, his mind focused on the faint scent of a miko miles away.
~~
"Dinner has arrived!" Inu-Yasha burst through the door. A smirk adorned his face and a deer was hung over his back. The creature was neatly skinned and gutted. Kagome smiled softly at him, everyone knew that although she loved him there was no longer any romantic intent shared between the two. The hanyou had chosen Kikyo and lived in a smaller village due south. Kikyo had been fully restored thanks to Kagome, and Inu-Yasha would never forget that. They remained friends with no ill feelings towards each other. Kagome resided in Edo with Kaede and Shippo. Sango and Miroku had moved to the monks temple-home but had ridden Kirara down to await the coming baby. Sango refused to not have Kagome and Kaede as midwives for her delivery. Kagome was to be godmother as well.
"Inu-Yasha!" Kagome exclaimed, rising gracefully to her feet. Inu-Yasha noticed that she had been practicing what the shirabyoshi had taught her. The lady with dancing talents had made a winter residence in the growing village of Edo, she was an aristocratic woman, complete with travelling servants, that had lost much of her fortune to a warring lord. She had been privately teaching Kagome some of the fan arts and dance of the upper-class. He had only seen her practicing once, and he tried to never see it again because it was the one time where he wondered if he had made the right choice between girls. He had heard from Kaede that she had gotten as good as the teacher since she spent endless hours in lessons. "What's the occasion? You haven't dropped by in a couple of weeks?"
"Kohaku!" Sango was the first to notice the youth that had followed their Inu-hanyou friend through the tatami door. Ten pounds of baby on her stomach prevented as graceful a rise as the miko, but the slayer glowed with happiness. "I wasn't sure you were even going to get the letter I sent with Myoga!"
The siblings embraced with laughter. "There's no way I would have missed out on your first baby Sango. I also needed to be sure you named him after me!"
Miroku stood with such speed that even Inu-Yasha questioned his humanity, and loudly proclaimed, "It is a girl and she will have her mothers looks and my personality, and her name will be Cho, not Kohaku!"
The women had been following along with rant were surprised into silence at the name the houshi had spit out. Butterfly? All eyes turned to Sango who had a pensive expression on her face. Kagome picked up Shippo and hid behind Inu-Yasha. Kohaku moved behind Kagome. Kaede, the old miko that had just come in from her side room and sat down with a brew, had her tea halted at her mouth and one eye cracked open to watch the scene from an angle. No one made a sound. They were all to afraid of the demon slayer that despised overly female names. "Cho..."
Miroku stepped back and pushed himself against the wall. His pregnant wife could not move as easily as ever, but she was still fast enough when necessary. "I know you don't like any girl names, but I can't get it out of my mind Sango. If you don't like it then we don't have to use it...I'll love whatever you chose."
"No, it's okay. I like it." Sango flicked a soft gaze to Kohaku who took the hint and sat down beside her. They both looked at Miroku and Sango nodded her approval. "Cho was my mothers name."
The air lifted and each person joined into a round of laughter. Miroku sank down, cuddling his wife against his chest. Over dinner Inu-Yasha explained that Kikyo was needed to doctor a woman in another village and would not be back for a few days. He would return home after dinner, dessert, and some much needed company.
That night Kagome tucked her son in under the sheets of their shared futon and placed a kiss on his red-headed crown. She loved how happy Shippo always looked when he was sleeping, and never once regretted her decision to have her permanent home in the past. She could still go home, but the well's magic, knowing that the quest was complete, had become uncontrollable. It took away her energy as she slipped between time, and her last trip home and back had cost her a good week in bed. The miko took her thoughts back out to the main room of Kaede's hut and sat down beside her teacher. Kaede was over sixty now which was old for a woman of the time period. Kagome had approached the elder and asked to receive training so that she could replace Kaede upon her passing. Needless to say Kaede had agreed and took Kagome under her wing.
"You are troubled Kagome?" Said miko was handed a cup of steaming tea. It was terrifying to see Kaede looking so ancient in the light of their fire.
"I feel lonely, it still hurts to not have Inu-yasha with me. But I also feel in my heart that he wasn't the one." Kagome sipped the tea and relaxed herself. She was surprised that her new friend Nami had not shown up. Of course the shirabyoshi did not like company; Nami, Kagome felt, had befriended her out of necessity, since she gotten snowed into Edo until a melt.
"A priestess is not supposed to have a family, especially the one who carries the shikon-no-tama. She could taint the jewel with anger, despair, or jealousy." Although her answer was harsh, Kaede needed to be such with her pupil. "Perhaps you need to go on a pilgrimage? Travel Japan for a year?"
Kagome made a face into her tea. "Sango would never forgive me if I missed the birth. And who would look after Shippo?"
"Shippo would travel with you. No force could keep him away from his adopted mother. Perhaps if you waited until spring you could escort Nami back to her homeland? Then you would also be with Sango, and you will have mastered all that I can teach you as a miko; you could find a new teacher and then return with more skills." What Kaede said made sense. Shippo was old enough now that he could kill weaker youkai if they ever got in a pinch, and Kagome had accomplished a semi-mastery of her miko abilities over the past year or so.
"I will think on it. Sango's baby takes first priority though. I'm not doing anything until she has comfortably adjusted into motherhood." With that resolve Kagome took a big gulp of her tea, almost as if to reassure herself in some odd way. As she swallowed a slight prickling on the far reaches of her sense caught her attention. It felt like Inu-Yasha, but stronger, and mad.
The tea cup clattered to the ground as the Miko ran outside to figure out why her friend was so upset. Outside a horrific sight caught her breath in her throat. A giant white dog, with fangs dripping acid, was running towards them at speeds unfathomable. The rage inside him had turned his youkai red, and had it swirling uncontrollably around his frame. "Sesshomaru!"
Kaede emerged from the hut, wishing she had stayed inside. The elder had heard stories of the Inu-no-Tashio but nothing prepared her for the sight he allowed.
Kagome grabbed her bow and quiver, then yelled for Kaede to get inside. The inu's aura called to her; she was his intended target. He charged, the length of him taking strides that ate up acres, toward the village. She notched an arrow into the bow and pulled back on the string. Her arm was steady and a perfect line with the arrow. Inu-Yasha had been the one who let her practice aim by chasing prey to her and having her shoot them dinner. Needless to say she was a much more confident archer. When she felt that Sesshomaru had gotten too close to the village the arrow was loosed.
It flew past the frontal stub where his arm used to be and pierced his shoulder; pink light exploded and burned at his flesh. Still the dog continued until he was upon the huts. The first hut disappeared as he flung it from the ground with his mouth. Kagome was now beginning to hear cries of help, or pleadings to Kami for the demon to leave. The miko loosed another arrow. This one missed, but burned a large chunk of his side with its pink-light trail. The dog howled in pain. It looked as if the moon touched the tip of his nose, and Kagome felt an odd sense of appreciation. Even in his most violent of moods, the beast was still worthy of god-status. His fur was white. The moon gave it a blue hue, and behind the red she could see a burning orange. It must have been the product of his natural amber and enraged red. The crescent moon above his brow was sapphire. From her distance the fur there looked like un-spun silk.
"And here I always though it was more of an indigo." Her mind kept running over his beauty as she ran towards him, gasping as timbres fell from the spaces between his jaws. Three houses had been destroyed so far. She prepped an arrow as she ran and drew it back. "Sesshomaru! I hope you have good dental coverage!"
The dog perked an ear and peered down at the tiny figure running towards him. Kagome took aim when she had his attention and let the arrow fly. It struck true in the side of his jaw, piercing the flesh. The dog mad a sound that reminded Kagome of a rabbit being slaughtered. He screamed again and shrouded himself in smoke. She was able to stop running, knowing the smoke meant that he was transforming back into a humanoid form. Perhaps now he would become more agreeable. Kagome knew that all the villagers had gathered at distance behind her. The winter wind swept her long hair towards the south. The red hakama she wore were soaked to the knee from snow. Her toes were bloody cold as well.
~~
The lord watched her approach him. Every instinct told him to slit her throat for what she had done to his ward. However he kept himself cold and stoic. It would do no good to Rin if the ransom was dead. Not that he was going to pay any ransom. Oh no... they would all be slaughtered for the indignity. No one touched the Inu-no-Tashio. Without taking his eyes away from her, Sesshomaru ripped the arrow out of his jaw. Some of the village women swooned into their husbands arms at the gaping hole left behind.
"To what do we owe the pleasure of your company Sesshomaru-sama?" The girls voice was strong. Her eyes challenged him from the place she had stopped at. Ten feet separated them. How easily he could kill her within those ten feet. The villagers eyes wouldn't even be able to keep up with his movements.
"The jewel." He growled out the words. It pained him to have to explain anything to the bitch in front of him. But for Rin it would have to be. He held out his hand expectantly.
"No."