InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ As Fate Would Have It ❯ Chapter 19

Chapter 19

 

Sesshoumaru walked past Kagome without even glancing at her. Kagura, on the other hand, stopped and helped the young miko to her feet.

 

Kagome stared at the wind youkai, confused. “Kagura? What…? Why…?”

 

Kagura shook her head. “Sesshoumaru wants you out of the way, and your mate with you. This is his battle now. Toramaru has invaded the Western Lands and must now pay the consequences.”

 

-So… you come to protect your filthy half-breed brother, Sesshoumaru?-

 

Sesshoumaru regarded the large feline with cool disinterest. “You have invaded my lands, Toramaru. Now you will pay for your stupidity.”

 

-Ha! The day an Inu defeats a Tora is the day my lands will be ruled by a hanyou!-

 

Sesshoumaru stepped forward, his eyes shifting to crimson. “So be it.” Immediately his features lengthened and his body grew, until he was a great white dog with poison-dripping saliva. The fearsome effect was marred only by the fact that he was standing on three legs instead of four- resulting from that first battle against Inuyasha.

 

The tiger tai-youkai laughed, making strange yowling sounds. -So this is the mighty Sesshoumaru's true form? A crippled puppy!-

 

Inuyasha growled up at the tiger. “Shut your fucking mouth, kitty, or I'll shut it for you!”

 

Toramaru's orange and crimson eyes fixated on the hanyou. -I will obliterate the line of the Inu no Taishou and take over the Western Lands. I willrule over all of Japan! And my first act will be to eliminate all half-breeds!-

 

Sesshoumaru stepped between the tiger and his brother. -Inuyasha… take your mate away from here. If anything should befall my niece and nephew, there will be hell to pay- by you.-

 

Inuyasha snorted, his eyes returning to gold and his fangs shrinking. The crests on his cheeks stopped their pulsing and returned to normal. “Feh!”

 

He jumped away, heading for Kagome and Kagura. “Let's go, wench! Maybe next time you'll listen to me and get the hell away when I fucking tell you to!”

 

Kagura pulled a feather out of her hair and soared high into the air. Kagome got on Inuyasha's back and he took off for Kaede's village, where Miroku and Sango were supposed to be keeping Minako safe. Kagura followed.

 

“Inuyasha- why is Kagura still alive? Didn't Naraku…?” Kagome asked as he ran.

 

“How should I know? And why she's hanging around with my brother is beyond me!”

 

Kagome smiled softly. “Maybe she loves him?”

 

“Keh!”

 

They arrived at Kaede's hut, where Sango emerged, looking worried. “Inuyasha! Kagome! What's going on? Is the youkai defeated?”

 

Inuyasha carefully let Kagome down, and then stuffed his hands into his sleeves. “Sesshoumaru is dealing with the Tora no Taishou as we speak.”

 

Sango gasped. “Sesshoumaru?”

 

The hanyou shrugged. “Apparently it's a tai-youkai thing. No reason for Kagome to risk her life and those of my pups.”

 

Kagome rolled her eyes. “They're my pups too, Inuyasha.”

 

“Like hell.”

 

She smirked at him. “Then you can do all the diapering.”

 

“Oh, hell no. That's your job.”

 

Sango interrupted. “You know, maybe it would be better if Kagome would go home to her era- that way, your babies won't be in danger.”

 

“Pups.”

 

“Put a sock in it, Baka Papa.”

 

“Baka papa! Baka papa!” A small black figure flew out of the hut, attacked Inuyasha's leg and clung. Miroku followed with Shippou sitting on his shoulder.

 

“Minako! How's my girl?” Inuyasha scooped her up and her eyes went to his ears, which immediately began twitching. She giggled and scrunched up her face as she tried to twitch her own ears.

 

Kagura approached the small group, her magenta eyes gazing at everyone with no hint of malice.

 

Sango gasped. “Kagura! But… Naraku… he destroyed you…”

 

Kagura smiled warmly, which was surprising to everyone present. “Yes… he did. He destroyed my body- not my soul. My soul was scattered to the wind, where it truly belonged.”

 

Miroku eyed the seemingly-normal-looking Kagura. “And your present body…?”

 

Sango thwapped him upside his head.

 

Kagura chuckled at the interlude between the two. “I have Kanna to thank for that. After Kagome destroyed the infant that was Naraku's heart, she was freed from his control. She had a body, but no soul. I was a soul, but no body. She agreed to let my soul inhabit her body. Now, we are truly sisters.”

 

Kagome looked confused. “But… then you should have Kanna's form, not your own.”

 

The wind youkai shook her head. “I think that might have been Kanna's doing. Once my soul settled in her body, it changed and became as you see me now. The only difference, now, is that I no longer bear the spider scar on my back. I am truly free.”

 

Inuyasha snorted. “And Sesshoumaru?”

 

Kagura actually blushed. “I… followed him. He did not believe it was me at first, but his youkai senses could tell that I was the same.” She smiled again, her eyes bright with tears. “I love him. I couldn't do anything but find him again.”

 

Inuyasha nearly had a heart attack. Kagome sighed happily. Sango and Miroku looked stunned. Shippou snorted.

 

Kagura looked back at where she had left Sesshoumaru. “I have not told him how I feel- but perhaps someday I will have enough courage to do so.”

 

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The tiger tai-youkai circled around the giant white dog, its orange and red eyes shining in the afternoon sun.

 

-This fight was not to have concerned you, puppy. I was merely correcting an error.-

 

-Silence. This Sesshoumaru will now correct yourerror of threatening my niece and nephew.-

 

The tiger laughed, yowling again. -Since when does the great Sesshoumaru care about family? Especially those with human blood?-

 

Sesshoumaru growled, dripping poison saliva onto the ground. -My affairs are none of your concern. Now die…-

 

With that final statement, the inu-youkai jumped into the air, his fangs bared as he leaped for the tiger's throat.

 

The tiger growled back, swiping at Sesshoumaru with one huge paw. He evaded the razor-sharp claws and relentlessly went for the tiger's jugular.

 

The inu-youkai managed to grasp the back of the tiger's neck in his jaws, lifting him off his feet and tossing him quite some distance away to crash into a rocky gorge. An angry roar echoed from the canyon.

 

Sesshoumaru quickly followed his prey. He jumped high and managed to land on top of the angry feline, his venomous saliva dripping onto the orange and black fur.

 

He sunk his teeth into the back of Toramaru's neck, injecting him with some of the poisoned saliva.

 

The tiger roared again, this time in pain as the toxin entered his system. As a tai-youkai, his defense systems were stronger than normal, but Sesshoumaru's poison was simply too strong for him to overcome. He rolled, trying to dislodge the inu from his back.

 

Sesshoumaru jumped off and Toramaru gazed at him, panting, as blood and green poison dripped down his neck.

 

-You will not win, Inu no Taishou. I will defeat you and take your lands!-

 

Sesshoumaru didn't bother to reply. The poison was spreading quickly, making the tiger choke and foam at the mouth.

 

The inu-youkai shimmered, transforming into his silver-haired form. He regarded Toramaru with bored eyes as the tora-youkai also returned to his other form.

 

He lay, battered and bleeding, on the rocky ground, greenish spittle dripping from his mouth. “Stupid… puppy… you really think you've won? The others…. The other tora-youkai… they will avenge me. They will prevent you from taking… my lands…” He cackled weakly, coughing and spitting up blood and green poison.

 

Sesshoumaru stared at Toramaru as if bored. “Enough. Your incessant prattle has annoyed me.” He flung out a hand and, with his green energy whip, snapped the head off the Tora no Taishou of the Eastern Lands.

 

He watched the remains to disintegrate and scatter on the wind, and then stepped forward to pick something up. He turned away and walked silently out of the gorge.

 

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Kagome wondered how she had gotten herself into this mess. Sango and Shippou were both sitting by her, their hands splayed on her belly as they waited for one of the twins to move again.

 

“Ooo! I felt him!” Shippou cried, smiling. Sango grinned.

 

“Hopefully, I'll be looking like you in a few months, Kagome,” the taijiya whispered to her friend. Kagome grinned back.

 

“We'll know in a few weeks, huh?” Kagome reassured the older woman. Sango looked hopeful.

 

Kagura stepped inside the hut, looking embarrassed. “Oh, gomen nasai… I didn't mean to interrupt.”

 

Kagome smiled at the wind youkai. “Don't worry about it. The twins are just very active today and everyone wants to feel them.”

 

She looked up at the somewhat wistful look on Kagura's face. “Would… would you like to feel them too?”

 

Surprised, Kagura nodded slightly. She knelt next to Shippou, who hopped over to give her room. Hesitantly, the wind sorceress placed a hand next to Shippou's on Kagome's swollen belly.

 

Her eyes lit up as a gentle thump hit her palm. “Oh… Kami! That's so… so…!”

 

Sango and Kagome chuckled. “Yup. That about sums it up!”

 

Kagura looked sad for a moment. “Kagome… what…. What's it like?”

 

The miko looked confused for a moment. “What is what like? Pregnancy?”

 

Kagura nodded slightly. Sango smiled. She, too, felt the same way.

 

Kagome sighed. “I read once that `pregnancy is getting company inside one's own skin.' I'd have to heartily agree. Sometimes I feel like these two are going to split me in half with all their kicking and squirming.”

 

Sango giggled. “I'd be worried about those claws. Do you think they get them while they're still inside you, or do they grow them later?”

 

Kagura shrugged then giggled, too. “Just imagine how youkai mothers feel.”

 

All three women groaned and then broke into laughter. It was strange, having a one-time enemy laughing and joking with you. Kagome was glad though, that Kagura finally had the chance to live her life how she wanted.

 

Sango raised an eyebrow at Kagura mischievously. “You'll have to be sure to let us know that when Sesshoumaru knocks you up.”

 

That got bigger hoots of laughter. Kagura wiped a tear from her eye, still smiling. “That's hilarious. I doubt he even thinks of me in that way.”

 

Kagome rolled her eyes. “Puh-lease… I'm sure that even Mr. I-have-ice-for-blood has needs and soon he'll realize that his mate is right under his nose.”

 

Kagura laughed. Sango grinned. “Maybe we should set you two up on a romantic date.”

 

The wind youkai looked at Sango, dumbfounded. “Say what?”