InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mating Season ❯ Surprise! ( Chapter 65 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: SplendentGoddess 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.18.2006 | Updated On: 08.12.2008 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.3K | Visits: 11.3K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.18.2006 | Updated On: 08.12.2008 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.3K | Visits: 11.3K | Status: Completed
Blanket Disclaimer:
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
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Chapter 65 – Surprise!
“Breathe child!” Kaede shrieked, as she saw Kagome’s posture suddenly lock up.
While Kaede first believed Kagome to be experiencing a bad contraction, the elderly miko soon learned that she was very mistaken. Her young apprentice did not cry out in pain, and instead of reaching for her belly, Kagome’s hand flew quickly upon her chest.
“Kagome???” Sango asked worriedly.
“Inuyasha…” was all she whispered, a far off, unseeing stare present in her glowing red eyes.
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Wandering through the broken down gates that lead into what was once a seemingly prosperous village, recognition slowly found its way within his hanyou mind.
“I’ve been here.” Inuyasha mumbled to himself aloud, as the old, yet familiar scents slowly flooded his nose, and he suddenly realized he knew the place quite well.
“This is Sango’s slayer village.” he recollected, as he spotted the rows of burial mounds that marked the remains of her people.
Before her advanced pregnancy, not a month had gone by without her and Kohaku returning there to freshen the flowers, and even now, her brother still made the trip by himself, with Kirara of course.
She and Miroku had also returned there several times, while he was away with Kagome in her time, Inuyasha recalled, as their friends spoke of the supplies they’d gathered, and the remains of weaponry they’d salvaged. The town truly appeared deserted now, the buildings bare, the storage rooms empty. The entire landscape was a monument to those who had upheld the tradition Sango and Kohaku would now carry on through their children. Bowing his head in a quick prayer, Inuyasha wished for peace for those who had fallen at Naraku’s trickery, before vacating the cemetery the village had become.
Passing by a nearby cave, the hanyou felt a sudden pulse against his chest, and after recovering from his start, he gripped his chest, not in surprise, but in confusion, as he pulled out the warded jewel he’d concealed within his clothing, feeling it pulse once more in his hand.
This probably isn’t good. he thought worriedly, before slowly removing the ward.
Sitting in his hand was a sparkly white, completely purified jewel, the same as usual.
“What the hell?” he asked aloud, feeling it pulse once more, though the pulse seemed much stronger that time.
It took Inuyasha a moment to realize that he was feeling a conjoined pulse, in time with the jewel, which was resonating from the very cave he’d just passed.
Oh…shit… he thought with a large DUH written across his forehead. He was just about to bolt, and get the jewel as far away from Midoriko’s cave as possible, when another pulse almost seemed to associate with it, an emotion, giving him the distinct impression that the jewel wanted him to enter the cave.
“Are you sure?” he asked the jewel comically, surprised when he felt it pulse again, almost as if in answer.
Inching his way towards the cave slowly, Inuyasha kept his attention fixated on the crystal in his hand, prepared to flee at his top speed should the thing start to taint even the slightest bit. However, so far, it was still as pure as ever, which he decided might mean that its pulsing wasn’t a bad thing, after all.
Upon entering the cave, he was floored by what he saw. There stood Midoriko’s petrified body, as he’d seen it before, but the youkai around her appeared to be decomposing with age, while she still remained as pristine as ever. Still sensing no malice within the jewel, Inuyasha wondered briefly why the youkai weren’t drawn to it, especially considering it was unprotected by Kagome’s wards at the moment. Hadn’t close proximity of the jewel always threatened to revive those youkai before?
“They’re…dead…” he realized slowly. “They’re all dead, Kagome purified them.”
And indeed it was true. The jewel had always contained the encased souls of both Midoriko, as well as the scores upon scores of merged youkai with whom she’d been engaged in eternal battle. But if Kagome had somehow aided in the completion of said battle, if those youkai were apparently no more, then what remained trapped within the jewel now was simply…
“Midoriko’s soul.” he whispered in awe, as he saw her statue glow before him.
“Inuyasha.” a voice answered him suddenly, and he nearly dropped the jewel, he was so startled.
The voice appeared to come from nowhere, and everywhere, all at once, and in a way he sort of associated it with the sensation of having his ears pinned down to his head. Slowly, Inuyasha realized that he was hearing the voice within his own head.
“Was this the answer all along?” he asked in wonder, thinking that they should have thought to try bringing the jewel there before, and wondering why they had not.
“I have been waiting for you.” the voice answered, and recognizing it as female, he instantly realized whose voice it obviously had to be.
“Midoriko-sama” he spoke hesitantly, feeling a little silly since there was no one else there, so he quickly decided to address the form of her body as he spoke, “Is this how I purify the jewel? By bringing it back to you?”
“The jewel is purified.” she answered.
“But…we were led to believe that…were it purified completely…that it would cease to exist.”
“The jewel never contained solely darkness, but light as well, and you cannot purify that which is already pure.” she answered.
“Then, how do I release you?” he asked, hopeful now that he felt he was at least getting…somewhere.
“Release me?” she echoed for clarification.
Stupidly, he nodded, but she seemed to have sensed his affirmative answer because she promptly continued afterward with “I am not a prisoner in the sense you believe, for I am not within the jewel. I am the jewel.”
Having gotten used to people who spoke in riddles thanks to his dealings with Sesshoumaru, he analyzed her words for a moment, then countered her with
“You say not in the sense I believe. Does this then mean that you are a prisoner in some other fashion?”
He smiled when he swore he could almost feel her smile first, before sensing a sigh of exhaustion from her, as she answered honestly “I seek rest.”
“Then, how do I aid you in achieving this?”
That time, he was sure he felt her smiling, as even the melancholy tone of her voice seemed to lift with spirit, as she answered “I have been waiting for the right time. I believe the time is now.”
“What must I do?” he asked. Loyalty and nobility were literally dripping from his words, and she smiled once more.
“While a selfish wish taints the jewel with its evil, fueling the youkai souls within its being, a selfless desire I can grant would use the powers I have left, allowing me the rest I seek.”
Thinking about her words, Inuyasha thought he understood. She had so much power, just so much, just sitting there, sitting there doing nothing. Like Kagome, if she were to use up her powers, she would need to rest, to sleep. But for Midoriko, within the jewel or being the jewel regardless, to sleep would mean to never awaken. Currently, she was trapped in eternal consciousness, never to sleep. She had been engaged for centuries in a battle now finally over, so it was time to rest.
“So just as Kikyou believed, what is required is a selfless wish?” he asked.
He and Kagome had tried so hard to think of how to purify the jewel without wishing on it, for the simple fear that, if not worded properly, or if even the tiniest speck of doubt should be present, that the wish could be tainted, and the jewel tarnished once more.
“Your desire to change for her was selfless, but be not fooled, her wish would have tainted the jewel.”
“What…what does that mean?”
Quickly, Inuyasha’s mind was flooded with images from another time, fifty years prior, to the days before and after Kikyou had acquired the jewel. She’d loathed it, loathed her responsibility, and resented her destiny as the jewel’s keeper. Her love for his human heart had been genuine, and had they used the jewel to make him human, she would have wanted to be his wife, but it was her desire to be rid of the jewel that had fueled her motives as well.
A single tear slipped down his cheek at the memories of pain he’d just been bombarded with, but just as quickly as the slide show had faded, another one appeared, this time of a young girl from the future, whose heart was the purest Midoriko had ever seen, and she told him as such.
“This girl…” she commended in a caring voice, “…is your destiny.”
Nodding again, the hanyou answered “I believe it, also.”
“So, Inuyasha…” she addressed almost casually, knowing she had already shown him the answer, should he know where to look for it. “What is it that you shall have me do?”
“What…what do you mean?” he asked, slightly confused.
“What is it that you desire?”
Why did he get the feeling as though this were some sort of test?
“I…I’ve already got all I desire.” he answered honestly, yet nervously, feeling very much so like she was examining his soul at that moment.
“You hesitate, my friend.”
“I…I don’t want the jewel for myself any more. Whenever anyone tries to use it, it turns out bad. We were afraid that any wish would get corrupted, no matter what. The jewel’s purity is so easy to taint.”
“As true as this may be, if there is one soul I have encountered that would match the purity of Kagome’s, it is your own, my son. What is it that you desire?”
Thinking then, really, truly thinking, he knew he had only one answer. “All I desire is Kagome’s happiness.”
Smiling again, Midoriko answered him with “And all your mate’s happiness requires is your own.”
He smiled himself at that. Typical Kagome, wanting for nothing but his happiness, forgetting all about herself.
“All my happiness requires is her.” he answered in turn, and it was true. If there was one aspect of his life with which he would admit that he was selfish, it was with Kagome. He needed her, he wanted her, and he couldn’t even decide which feeling was greater. He would lose his mind if anything ever happened to her. He would always protect her…
“There is a speck of darkness in your heart, my son.” Midoriko’s voice suddenly echoed, and he cringed, before she consoled his worries, asking him “What is it that troubles you?”
“I…I sometimes fear I won’t always be able to protect Kagome.” he admitted, and for some strange reason, voicing his fear aloud actually made him feel better.
“Do you doubt your abilities?”
“No, of course not.” he answered honestly.
“Do you still desire to become a full youkai?” she asked him point blank, surprising him that she knew him so thoroughly. “You would have the strength to always protect your mate.” she explained, almost temptingly.
“I…no…” Inuyasha answered her after a moment, taking a breath before explaining himself. “While this is true, I would lose so much more than I’d gain. I’d lose my human blood, my human heart. I…I know youkai still feel love, I know my father loved my mother…” He paused, stifling his tears at the reminder he’d just given himself of how his father had truly died, “…but my human heart and soul is part of who I am. I wouldn’t be who I am if I wasn’t what I am.”
“So you have accepted your fate as a hanyou?”
“I…yes, absolutely.”
“Except?”
Sighing, he realized she could likely read his mind, so there was no point in trying to hide anything. He suddenly felt very much so like a small child who was attempting (and failing) to lie to his parents.
“All hanyou have a time of weakness…where we lose our youkai powers…” he started to explain, thinking she likely knew that fact already, being a miko and all.
“And yours is on the night of the new moon.” she continued for him, answering that question.
“There’s nothing to be done.” he stated stubbornly, “I will not change who I am. My human blood gives me a connection to my mate, binding us in a way that lies beyond our youkai blood-bond. My human heart enables me to love her fully, as a human husband loves his wife, as someone to cherish, as well as someone to protect. When I fight, I fight all the more fiercely, because when humans have someone to protect, they are even stronger than before. I am not weak, for a hanyou, and have proven my strength time and again. While I do wish I could avoid turning fully human against my will, I will not rid myself of my human blood to prevent the change. Any additional strength I could gain from stripping myself of my human heritage would not be worth the price required. I would never do that to Kagome…or my mother…”
“Then…you answer my question.” she stated quietly, before he felt his body start to tingle.
“What are you doing to me?!” he screamed, dropping the jewel in panic, though it was already too late.
A white mist leaked forth from it, wrapping itself around him. A warmth surrounded him then, Midoriko’s warmth, as her final words reached him.
“As any great warrior will learn through time, the greatest of strengths stems not from the sheer magnitude of one’s raw power, but from one’s self control over whatever power they possess. This is something you were already realizing, but the road before you would have been long and tedious before reaching your goal. You and your mate are two halves of the same being, each desiring solely for the other, each other’s happiness stemming from the other. I shall grant your wish, Inuyasha, that Kagome shall have happiness, her happiness resting in your own, in your full confidence of your own abilities, your worthiness of being her mate, and her protector. I do nothing that you would not have one day achieved on your own, but your path on this journey has now merely reached its end with me. I grant you the strength of control, Inuyasha, strength of yourself and your blood, both youkai and human. It is who you are.”
With those last five words, he felt her presence leave him, tired and spent. She too would be granted her deepest desire, her desire for rest, her soul finally free to one day be reincarnated in the form of another, when her time came. Glancing down, Inuyasha saw that the jewel was gone, and he quickly realized that the white mist that had surrounded him had been the jewel itself. The sensations within his body continued to stir, a mixture of hot and cold, as he felt his blood boil, then cool, his claws and fangs lengthen, then shrink once more. It was a feeling of getting ripped apart and put back together simultaneously, yet, there was no pain. The sensation of thousands of ants crawled on his skin, but he accepted it, remaining perfectly still, until, at last, it was finally over.
Glancing downward, his first instinct being to check the length of his claws, Inuyasha quickly saw that they were their typical length, and released a sigh of relief, until he noticed the purple stripes adorning his wrists, and he promptly gasped. Running back into the village, he scoured the land quickly, finding what remained of a tool shed, and finding a reasonably shiny piece of metal, he gasped once more, at his reflection.
Ears…canine…check
Kagom e would have KILLED me…
Eyes…gold…check
Youkai crests…
I have crests…he realized, also realizing that his fangs were, like his claws, their regular length. He was not transformed, and yet…
I have crests.
Glancing down at his wrists again, Inuyasha saw each one possessed two stripes, just like his older brother, and his face, in fact, had two stripes on each cheek, not just one as Kagome had told him had always appeared before. Absently, he wondered where else he was striped, recalling Kagome saying something about his hips. Tugging his suikan and kosode out of his hakama, he pushed the fabric aside, and sure enough, he spotted two stripes on each side, starting higher in the back, at around his lower abs, sloping forward to reach nearly his pelvic bone.
I bet Kagome will like these…he snickered absently.
The most remarkable thing about his transformation, which he realized was what it was, of sorts, was that he could feel the control Midoriko had spoken of. It was like, just with Kagome, a switch had suddenly been flipped within his being. He had perfect control of his youkai blood, and he knew how to use it. Concentrating, he felt his youki recede within him, and before he knew it, he was staring at the reflection of a very human Inuyasha, in the light of day. Quickly realizing he lost his bond with Kagome in that moment, he cursed his rash curiosity, quickly changing himself back. Kagome, despite her current distraction, had likely felt the separation as well, and grown panicked. Taking one last moment to glance at his new reflection, he then turned, and bolted. He’d better get back to her anyway, he realized, as this was something she’d need to see for herself.
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Just as quickly as it’d happened, her eyes faded back to their natural chocolate, and collapsing against her pillows in exhaustion, she found herself suddenly bombarded with twin sets of questions.
“Are ye all right, child?”
“Kagome! What happened?”
“Do ye require herbs for the pain?”
“Is the baby alright?”
“Do ye sense your mate in trouble?”
“Is it the jewel?”
“Perhaps ye should call Inuyasha forth.”
“Hold on!” the miko cried frantically, surprising them with her laughter, as exasperated as the sound was. Fortunately, Kagome’s youkai hearing had allowed her to separate the words all shouted together, distinguishing between Kaede’s questions as well as Sango’s, and to their utter amazement, she slowly began to answer each one, in order.
“Yes, Kaede, I am all right. I don’t know what happened, Sango. No, Kaede, I do not want to take any herbs, I’d rather keep this natural; the pain is not that bad. Yes, Sango, the baby is just fine. I thought I lost the blood-bond with Inuyasha, like during the new moon, but it’s back now, as strong as ever, and I can tell he is okay. I don’t know about the jewel, I can’t sense it any more, and that does have me a little worried. There’s no need to summon Inuyasha though, he’s already on his way back, and should be here any-”
“Kagome!” he shouted, as he barged through the door.
“Inuyasha!” three voices shouted at once.
He’d made the five mile run in under three minutes, nearly doubling his top speed, having accomplished the feat by permitting his youkai blood to rage within him, boosting his powers. So frantic was he, regarding the condition of his mate, that he’d neglected to shift himself back, so now, standing before them, was a seemingly transformed Inuyasha, red eyes, elongated fangs, the works.
While Kaede and Sango started to back away slightly, unsure of how protective his animal side would be over his birthing mate, Kagome had never feared him in that condition, and wasn’t about to start now. All three occupants of the hut were quickly surprised, however, when they discovered that, mentally, Inuyasha appeared to be completely in his right mind.
“Inuyasha?” his mate questioned, “What happened? Are you okay?” she asked, fearing that he may have transformed due to battle.
“I’m fine.” he cooed lovingly, nuzzling her neck, “Better than fine, now.”
“Inuyasha?” Sango voiced uncertainly, and she could not help her startled jump as he quickly swung his head around to greet the sound of her voice, his crimson eyes piercing her own. But something was off in their stare. They seemed…focused.
“Sango?” he questioned, still unaware of his current appearance. “What’s the matter?”
“I…” she started, gulping down her nervousness when she realized his voice sounded the same as usual, instead of the gruffer undertones usually associated with his transformation. “I was gonna ask you that.” she supplied, quickly pulling a reflective glass from one of Kaede’s shelves, and handing it to him.
He didn’t even need to glimpse in the small mirror, though. Upon noticing the length of his claws as he reached for the proffered item, he instantly realized what their concerns were regarding.
“Oh…” He stopped, neglecting to take the mirror, as he stared at his hand. “I...uh…heh…” he laughed nervously, thoroughly confusing everyone present.
Shifting himself back into his standard hanyou appearance (plus crests) he gulped audibly, and said “I can explain.”
“You have control?” Kagome asked him instantly, pride and confusing lacing her voice. So distracted was she, that she barely even winced at the contraction that decided to strike at that moment, and as soon as she found her voice again, she asked “How?”
“Midoriko.” was all he needed to say.
“Ye have purified the jewel, then?” Kaede asked in understanding.
“What?!” Sango shouted, misunderstanding the intricacies of what had transpired in the cave.
“You wished on the jewel? How could you?! And while Kagome is having the baby no less!” She was livid. “How can you be so selfish! You’re lucky it didn’t backfire! What if something would have happened to you?! Do you ever think!?…..”
Her tirade continued for some time, but Inuyasha happily tuned it out, focusing solely on his mate, as the two nuzzled each other’s necks. Kagome was confused, but she knew Inuyasha would explain, once Sango got off her soapbox. Inuyasha, for his part, appreciated Sango’s bombardment, as it proved her loyalty to his mate, as well as himself.
Finally, when the seven-month pregnant youkai slayer (not really a good combination) calmed down enough to take a few deep breaths, Inuyasha turned back toward her casually, asking politely “Are you finished?”
It was then that Sango realized he still had the purple stripes of his youkai heritage present upon his face.
“What…happened…?” she asked, exhausted, curious, and thoroughly confused.
Inuyasha quickly gave them the short version of all that had transpired. How during his run, he’d come across Sango’s village, and how the jewel seemingly led him toward Midoriko’s cave. How the two spoke, and in doing that final act, Midoriko’s soul was now at rest, the jewel completely eliminated from their world.
“She said I would have one day achieved this on my own.” he stated, awe still present in his own voice, regarding all that had transpired.
“Of that, I have no doubt.” Kagome whispered lovingly, just before another contraction washed through her.
Inuyasha cringed, and unconsciously reached for his own abdomen as Kagome clutched hers in her pain.
“I’m so sorry…that’s so unfair.” she breathed.
Smirking in amusement, Kaede attempted to lighten the mood by stating “I’ve known many wives in my day that had wished their husbands could share in the pleasures of labor.”
“Well I’m not one of them.” she answered sympathetically.
“It’s okay…” he breathed, “I can handle it.”
“But it’s not the same, is it? It’s not like it’s really your own pain you feel. Your youkai knows it’s my pain, and that’s what hurts the worst, isn’t it?”
He stared at her, mouth agape at just how well she understood him, for a human.
“I can…I can close our link…but I don’t know if I want to do that…” he admitted slowly.
“Is that what I felt before?” she asked
“You did feel that then, huh?” he asked in return, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay…” she voiced, then placing her hand upon his, “If it’ll help, if placing your youkai dormant will make you able to bear this with me…then please…for your own well being…”
“Do you ever think of yourself first?” he asked, amusement lacing his voice, as all that Midoriko had spoken was proven true time and again.
“Nope.” she chuckled.
“We’ll have to work on that.” he answered teasingly, before reaching forward to kiss her gently, as he permitted the youkai blood within his system to sleep.
Sango and Kaede stared in amazement, as the two raven haired humans before them cuddled, and glancing out the window, Kaede nodded at the evening sunshe saw still shinning brightly outside. Things would certainly be different from then on out.
“Am I correct in assuming ye shall no longer be plagued by the nights of the new moon?” she asked.
Nodding, the human Inuyasha before them answered, “As much as I hate to compare myself to that bastard in any way, it’s like what Naraku had said, regarding his own time of weakness.”
Sango seemed to understand his meaning, and nodded, continuing for him, “He said he too, being a hanyou, had such a time, but that he chose his time.”
“The power he’d acquired from the jewel had allowed it.” Kagome added.
“My youkai blood will require rest from time to time.” he spoke up again, admitting “I can feel it, when I’m human, like my youkai blood is sleeping, recharging.” Taking a deep breath, attempting to capture as much of Kagome’s scent as his human sense of smell would permit, he finished with “But…” and the way he’d announced it proved its importance, “I will no longer be a slave to the new moon. No longer will my vulnerability be a threat to my mortality.”
That said, he proceeded to clinch Kagome’s hand, as another contraction washed through her, the first of which Inuyasha could not personally feel.
Nightfall came eventually, and Inuyasha, remaining in his human form, was there for his wife, as any husband would be, as slowly but surely, her contractions grew more frequent and intense. Kagome had been able to tell that Sango, in her apprehension, likely wished her own husband to be present, and with no complaints from Inuyasha, Kagome managed to convince Kaede to permit Miroku, as well as Shippo, to reenter the hut, provided that they were seated in locations that gave them no direct view of the goings on. With each cry of pain she released, Miroku clutched his wife’s hand, silently vowing that when it was their turn, he would be there for her, just as Inuyasha was there for Kagome now.
At her side, bracing her upper body, Inuyasha had his arms wrapped protectively around his mate, as he permitted her head to rest sideways upon his shoulder between her contractions. It wasn’t too much longer before Kaede announced that Kagome was fully prepared, and instructed the girl to start the pushing process. It was slow, and tedious, and somebody had joked that the pup hadn’t wanted to make its appearance at night, because it was, after all, a cold winter’s night. Who’d want to leave the warmth of a mother’s stomach, to enter such a harsh reality?
And as it would turn out, the pup had apparently agreed with the statement wholeheartedly, as it wasn’t until the first lights of dawn could be seen shining through Kaede’s eastern window, that she announced the presence of the baby’s head.
“Hear that?” Inuyasha asked, nuzzling her side, as he gripped her tightly clinched fists in his own. “You’re almost done now, koi.”
“Hardly…” Kagome shot dryly, but pushed again nonetheless.
As the morning sun shown brightly above, and the birds that had not sought out warmer climate chirped their happy songs of breakfast, an infant’s cry could be heard breaking through the tranquil morning.
Holding a wrapped bundle of pink flesh and silver mane, Kaede, after cleaning and preparing the infant, passed it along to Inuyasha, smiling as she said
“Congratulations, My Lord, you are a father.”
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The Votes Are In….
Never in my wildest dreams had I expected such a reaction to my “Vote for the sex of the baby” ordeal. The votes were actually very, very close. It would have actually been a tie had I not included direct e-mail as an option. But here were the final results…
Review Votes: Boy 26 Girl 26
Email Votes: Boy 5 Girl 2
Final Count: Boy 31 Girl 28
Congratulations Inuyasha, it’s a Boy.
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
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Chapter 65 – Surprise!
“Breathe child!” Kaede shrieked, as she saw Kagome’s posture suddenly lock up.
While Kaede first believed Kagome to be experiencing a bad contraction, the elderly miko soon learned that she was very mistaken. Her young apprentice did not cry out in pain, and instead of reaching for her belly, Kagome’s hand flew quickly upon her chest.
“Kagome???” Sango asked worriedly.
“Inuyasha…” was all she whispered, a far off, unseeing stare present in her glowing red eyes.
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Wandering through the broken down gates that lead into what was once a seemingly prosperous village, recognition slowly found its way within his hanyou mind.
“I’ve been here.” Inuyasha mumbled to himself aloud, as the old, yet familiar scents slowly flooded his nose, and he suddenly realized he knew the place quite well.
“This is Sango’s slayer village.” he recollected, as he spotted the rows of burial mounds that marked the remains of her people.
Before her advanced pregnancy, not a month had gone by without her and Kohaku returning there to freshen the flowers, and even now, her brother still made the trip by himself, with Kirara of course.
She and Miroku had also returned there several times, while he was away with Kagome in her time, Inuyasha recalled, as their friends spoke of the supplies they’d gathered, and the remains of weaponry they’d salvaged. The town truly appeared deserted now, the buildings bare, the storage rooms empty. The entire landscape was a monument to those who had upheld the tradition Sango and Kohaku would now carry on through their children. Bowing his head in a quick prayer, Inuyasha wished for peace for those who had fallen at Naraku’s trickery, before vacating the cemetery the village had become.
Passing by a nearby cave, the hanyou felt a sudden pulse against his chest, and after recovering from his start, he gripped his chest, not in surprise, but in confusion, as he pulled out the warded jewel he’d concealed within his clothing, feeling it pulse once more in his hand.
This probably isn’t good. he thought worriedly, before slowly removing the ward.
Sitting in his hand was a sparkly white, completely purified jewel, the same as usual.
“What the hell?” he asked aloud, feeling it pulse once more, though the pulse seemed much stronger that time.
It took Inuyasha a moment to realize that he was feeling a conjoined pulse, in time with the jewel, which was resonating from the very cave he’d just passed.
Oh…shit… he thought with a large DUH written across his forehead. He was just about to bolt, and get the jewel as far away from Midoriko’s cave as possible, when another pulse almost seemed to associate with it, an emotion, giving him the distinct impression that the jewel wanted him to enter the cave.
“Are you sure?” he asked the jewel comically, surprised when he felt it pulse again, almost as if in answer.
Inching his way towards the cave slowly, Inuyasha kept his attention fixated on the crystal in his hand, prepared to flee at his top speed should the thing start to taint even the slightest bit. However, so far, it was still as pure as ever, which he decided might mean that its pulsing wasn’t a bad thing, after all.
Upon entering the cave, he was floored by what he saw. There stood Midoriko’s petrified body, as he’d seen it before, but the youkai around her appeared to be decomposing with age, while she still remained as pristine as ever. Still sensing no malice within the jewel, Inuyasha wondered briefly why the youkai weren’t drawn to it, especially considering it was unprotected by Kagome’s wards at the moment. Hadn’t close proximity of the jewel always threatened to revive those youkai before?
“They’re…dead…” he realized slowly. “They’re all dead, Kagome purified them.”
And indeed it was true. The jewel had always contained the encased souls of both Midoriko, as well as the scores upon scores of merged youkai with whom she’d been engaged in eternal battle. But if Kagome had somehow aided in the completion of said battle, if those youkai were apparently no more, then what remained trapped within the jewel now was simply…
“Midoriko’s soul.” he whispered in awe, as he saw her statue glow before him.
“Inuyasha.” a voice answered him suddenly, and he nearly dropped the jewel, he was so startled.
The voice appeared to come from nowhere, and everywhere, all at once, and in a way he sort of associated it with the sensation of having his ears pinned down to his head. Slowly, Inuyasha realized that he was hearing the voice within his own head.
“Was this the answer all along?” he asked in wonder, thinking that they should have thought to try bringing the jewel there before, and wondering why they had not.
“I have been waiting for you.” the voice answered, and recognizing it as female, he instantly realized whose voice it obviously had to be.
“Midoriko-sama” he spoke hesitantly, feeling a little silly since there was no one else there, so he quickly decided to address the form of her body as he spoke, “Is this how I purify the jewel? By bringing it back to you?”
“The jewel is purified.” she answered.
“But…we were led to believe that…were it purified completely…that it would cease to exist.”
“The jewel never contained solely darkness, but light as well, and you cannot purify that which is already pure.” she answered.
“Then, how do I release you?” he asked, hopeful now that he felt he was at least getting…somewhere.
“Release me?” she echoed for clarification.
Stupidly, he nodded, but she seemed to have sensed his affirmative answer because she promptly continued afterward with “I am not a prisoner in the sense you believe, for I am not within the jewel. I am the jewel.”
Having gotten used to people who spoke in riddles thanks to his dealings with Sesshoumaru, he analyzed her words for a moment, then countered her with
“You say not in the sense I believe. Does this then mean that you are a prisoner in some other fashion?”
He smiled when he swore he could almost feel her smile first, before sensing a sigh of exhaustion from her, as she answered honestly “I seek rest.”
“Then, how do I aid you in achieving this?”
That time, he was sure he felt her smiling, as even the melancholy tone of her voice seemed to lift with spirit, as she answered “I have been waiting for the right time. I believe the time is now.”
“What must I do?” he asked. Loyalty and nobility were literally dripping from his words, and she smiled once more.
“While a selfish wish taints the jewel with its evil, fueling the youkai souls within its being, a selfless desire I can grant would use the powers I have left, allowing me the rest I seek.”
Thinking about her words, Inuyasha thought he understood. She had so much power, just so much, just sitting there, sitting there doing nothing. Like Kagome, if she were to use up her powers, she would need to rest, to sleep. But for Midoriko, within the jewel or being the jewel regardless, to sleep would mean to never awaken. Currently, she was trapped in eternal consciousness, never to sleep. She had been engaged for centuries in a battle now finally over, so it was time to rest.
“So just as Kikyou believed, what is required is a selfless wish?” he asked.
He and Kagome had tried so hard to think of how to purify the jewel without wishing on it, for the simple fear that, if not worded properly, or if even the tiniest speck of doubt should be present, that the wish could be tainted, and the jewel tarnished once more.
“Your desire to change for her was selfless, but be not fooled, her wish would have tainted the jewel.”
“What…what does that mean?”
Quickly, Inuyasha’s mind was flooded with images from another time, fifty years prior, to the days before and after Kikyou had acquired the jewel. She’d loathed it, loathed her responsibility, and resented her destiny as the jewel’s keeper. Her love for his human heart had been genuine, and had they used the jewel to make him human, she would have wanted to be his wife, but it was her desire to be rid of the jewel that had fueled her motives as well.
A single tear slipped down his cheek at the memories of pain he’d just been bombarded with, but just as quickly as the slide show had faded, another one appeared, this time of a young girl from the future, whose heart was the purest Midoriko had ever seen, and she told him as such.
“This girl…” she commended in a caring voice, “…is your destiny.”
Nodding again, the hanyou answered “I believe it, also.”
“So, Inuyasha…” she addressed almost casually, knowing she had already shown him the answer, should he know where to look for it. “What is it that you shall have me do?”
“What…what do you mean?” he asked, slightly confused.
“What is it that you desire?”
Why did he get the feeling as though this were some sort of test?
“I…I’ve already got all I desire.” he answered honestly, yet nervously, feeling very much so like she was examining his soul at that moment.
“You hesitate, my friend.”
“I…I don’t want the jewel for myself any more. Whenever anyone tries to use it, it turns out bad. We were afraid that any wish would get corrupted, no matter what. The jewel’s purity is so easy to taint.”
“As true as this may be, if there is one soul I have encountered that would match the purity of Kagome’s, it is your own, my son. What is it that you desire?”
Thinking then, really, truly thinking, he knew he had only one answer. “All I desire is Kagome’s happiness.”
Smiling again, Midoriko answered him with “And all your mate’s happiness requires is your own.”
He smiled himself at that. Typical Kagome, wanting for nothing but his happiness, forgetting all about herself.
“All my happiness requires is her.” he answered in turn, and it was true. If there was one aspect of his life with which he would admit that he was selfish, it was with Kagome. He needed her, he wanted her, and he couldn’t even decide which feeling was greater. He would lose his mind if anything ever happened to her. He would always protect her…
“There is a speck of darkness in your heart, my son.” Midoriko’s voice suddenly echoed, and he cringed, before she consoled his worries, asking him “What is it that troubles you?”
“I…I sometimes fear I won’t always be able to protect Kagome.” he admitted, and for some strange reason, voicing his fear aloud actually made him feel better.
“Do you doubt your abilities?”
“No, of course not.” he answered honestly.
“Do you still desire to become a full youkai?” she asked him point blank, surprising him that she knew him so thoroughly. “You would have the strength to always protect your mate.” she explained, almost temptingly.
“I…no…” Inuyasha answered her after a moment, taking a breath before explaining himself. “While this is true, I would lose so much more than I’d gain. I’d lose my human blood, my human heart. I…I know youkai still feel love, I know my father loved my mother…” He paused, stifling his tears at the reminder he’d just given himself of how his father had truly died, “…but my human heart and soul is part of who I am. I wouldn’t be who I am if I wasn’t what I am.”
“So you have accepted your fate as a hanyou?”
“I…yes, absolutely.”
“Except?”
Sighing, he realized she could likely read his mind, so there was no point in trying to hide anything. He suddenly felt very much so like a small child who was attempting (and failing) to lie to his parents.
“All hanyou have a time of weakness…where we lose our youkai powers…” he started to explain, thinking she likely knew that fact already, being a miko and all.
“And yours is on the night of the new moon.” she continued for him, answering that question.
“There’s nothing to be done.” he stated stubbornly, “I will not change who I am. My human blood gives me a connection to my mate, binding us in a way that lies beyond our youkai blood-bond. My human heart enables me to love her fully, as a human husband loves his wife, as someone to cherish, as well as someone to protect. When I fight, I fight all the more fiercely, because when humans have someone to protect, they are even stronger than before. I am not weak, for a hanyou, and have proven my strength time and again. While I do wish I could avoid turning fully human against my will, I will not rid myself of my human blood to prevent the change. Any additional strength I could gain from stripping myself of my human heritage would not be worth the price required. I would never do that to Kagome…or my mother…”
“Then…you answer my question.” she stated quietly, before he felt his body start to tingle.
“What are you doing to me?!” he screamed, dropping the jewel in panic, though it was already too late.
A white mist leaked forth from it, wrapping itself around him. A warmth surrounded him then, Midoriko’s warmth, as her final words reached him.
“As any great warrior will learn through time, the greatest of strengths stems not from the sheer magnitude of one’s raw power, but from one’s self control over whatever power they possess. This is something you were already realizing, but the road before you would have been long and tedious before reaching your goal. You and your mate are two halves of the same being, each desiring solely for the other, each other’s happiness stemming from the other. I shall grant your wish, Inuyasha, that Kagome shall have happiness, her happiness resting in your own, in your full confidence of your own abilities, your worthiness of being her mate, and her protector. I do nothing that you would not have one day achieved on your own, but your path on this journey has now merely reached its end with me. I grant you the strength of control, Inuyasha, strength of yourself and your blood, both youkai and human. It is who you are.”
With those last five words, he felt her presence leave him, tired and spent. She too would be granted her deepest desire, her desire for rest, her soul finally free to one day be reincarnated in the form of another, when her time came. Glancing down, Inuyasha saw that the jewel was gone, and he quickly realized that the white mist that had surrounded him had been the jewel itself. The sensations within his body continued to stir, a mixture of hot and cold, as he felt his blood boil, then cool, his claws and fangs lengthen, then shrink once more. It was a feeling of getting ripped apart and put back together simultaneously, yet, there was no pain. The sensation of thousands of ants crawled on his skin, but he accepted it, remaining perfectly still, until, at last, it was finally over.
Glancing downward, his first instinct being to check the length of his claws, Inuyasha quickly saw that they were their typical length, and released a sigh of relief, until he noticed the purple stripes adorning his wrists, and he promptly gasped. Running back into the village, he scoured the land quickly, finding what remained of a tool shed, and finding a reasonably shiny piece of metal, he gasped once more, at his reflection.
Ears…canine…check
Kagom e would have KILLED me…
Eyes…gold…check
Youkai crests…
I have crests…he realized, also realizing that his fangs were, like his claws, their regular length. He was not transformed, and yet…
I have crests.
Glancing down at his wrists again, Inuyasha saw each one possessed two stripes, just like his older brother, and his face, in fact, had two stripes on each cheek, not just one as Kagome had told him had always appeared before. Absently, he wondered where else he was striped, recalling Kagome saying something about his hips. Tugging his suikan and kosode out of his hakama, he pushed the fabric aside, and sure enough, he spotted two stripes on each side, starting higher in the back, at around his lower abs, sloping forward to reach nearly his pelvic bone.
I bet Kagome will like these…he snickered absently.
The most remarkable thing about his transformation, which he realized was what it was, of sorts, was that he could feel the control Midoriko had spoken of. It was like, just with Kagome, a switch had suddenly been flipped within his being. He had perfect control of his youkai blood, and he knew how to use it. Concentrating, he felt his youki recede within him, and before he knew it, he was staring at the reflection of a very human Inuyasha, in the light of day. Quickly realizing he lost his bond with Kagome in that moment, he cursed his rash curiosity, quickly changing himself back. Kagome, despite her current distraction, had likely felt the separation as well, and grown panicked. Taking one last moment to glance at his new reflection, he then turned, and bolted. He’d better get back to her anyway, he realized, as this was something she’d need to see for herself.
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Just as quickly as it’d happened, her eyes faded back to their natural chocolate, and collapsing against her pillows in exhaustion, she found herself suddenly bombarded with twin sets of questions.
“Are ye all right, child?”
“Kagome! What happened?”
“Do ye require herbs for the pain?”
“Is the baby alright?”
“Do ye sense your mate in trouble?”
“Is it the jewel?”
“Perhaps ye should call Inuyasha forth.”
“Hold on!” the miko cried frantically, surprising them with her laughter, as exasperated as the sound was. Fortunately, Kagome’s youkai hearing had allowed her to separate the words all shouted together, distinguishing between Kaede’s questions as well as Sango’s, and to their utter amazement, she slowly began to answer each one, in order.
“Yes, Kaede, I am all right. I don’t know what happened, Sango. No, Kaede, I do not want to take any herbs, I’d rather keep this natural; the pain is not that bad. Yes, Sango, the baby is just fine. I thought I lost the blood-bond with Inuyasha, like during the new moon, but it’s back now, as strong as ever, and I can tell he is okay. I don’t know about the jewel, I can’t sense it any more, and that does have me a little worried. There’s no need to summon Inuyasha though, he’s already on his way back, and should be here any-”
“Kagome!” he shouted, as he barged through the door.
“Inuyasha!” three voices shouted at once.
He’d made the five mile run in under three minutes, nearly doubling his top speed, having accomplished the feat by permitting his youkai blood to rage within him, boosting his powers. So frantic was he, regarding the condition of his mate, that he’d neglected to shift himself back, so now, standing before them, was a seemingly transformed Inuyasha, red eyes, elongated fangs, the works.
While Kaede and Sango started to back away slightly, unsure of how protective his animal side would be over his birthing mate, Kagome had never feared him in that condition, and wasn’t about to start now. All three occupants of the hut were quickly surprised, however, when they discovered that, mentally, Inuyasha appeared to be completely in his right mind.
“Inuyasha?” his mate questioned, “What happened? Are you okay?” she asked, fearing that he may have transformed due to battle.
“I’m fine.” he cooed lovingly, nuzzling her neck, “Better than fine, now.”
“Inuyasha?” Sango voiced uncertainly, and she could not help her startled jump as he quickly swung his head around to greet the sound of her voice, his crimson eyes piercing her own. But something was off in their stare. They seemed…focused.
“Sango?” he questioned, still unaware of his current appearance. “What’s the matter?”
“I…” she started, gulping down her nervousness when she realized his voice sounded the same as usual, instead of the gruffer undertones usually associated with his transformation. “I was gonna ask you that.” she supplied, quickly pulling a reflective glass from one of Kaede’s shelves, and handing it to him.
He didn’t even need to glimpse in the small mirror, though. Upon noticing the length of his claws as he reached for the proffered item, he instantly realized what their concerns were regarding.
“Oh…” He stopped, neglecting to take the mirror, as he stared at his hand. “I...uh…heh…” he laughed nervously, thoroughly confusing everyone present.
Shifting himself back into his standard hanyou appearance (plus crests) he gulped audibly, and said “I can explain.”
“You have control?” Kagome asked him instantly, pride and confusing lacing her voice. So distracted was she, that she barely even winced at the contraction that decided to strike at that moment, and as soon as she found her voice again, she asked “How?”
“Midoriko.” was all he needed to say.
“Ye have purified the jewel, then?” Kaede asked in understanding.
“What?!” Sango shouted, misunderstanding the intricacies of what had transpired in the cave.
“You wished on the jewel? How could you?! And while Kagome is having the baby no less!” She was livid. “How can you be so selfish! You’re lucky it didn’t backfire! What if something would have happened to you?! Do you ever think!?…..”
Her tirade continued for some time, but Inuyasha happily tuned it out, focusing solely on his mate, as the two nuzzled each other’s necks. Kagome was confused, but she knew Inuyasha would explain, once Sango got off her soapbox. Inuyasha, for his part, appreciated Sango’s bombardment, as it proved her loyalty to his mate, as well as himself.
Finally, when the seven-month pregnant youkai slayer (not really a good combination) calmed down enough to take a few deep breaths, Inuyasha turned back toward her casually, asking politely “Are you finished?”
It was then that Sango realized he still had the purple stripes of his youkai heritage present upon his face.
“What…happened…?” she asked, exhausted, curious, and thoroughly confused.
Inuyasha quickly gave them the short version of all that had transpired. How during his run, he’d come across Sango’s village, and how the jewel seemingly led him toward Midoriko’s cave. How the two spoke, and in doing that final act, Midoriko’s soul was now at rest, the jewel completely eliminated from their world.
“She said I would have one day achieved this on my own.” he stated, awe still present in his own voice, regarding all that had transpired.
“Of that, I have no doubt.” Kagome whispered lovingly, just before another contraction washed through her.
Inuyasha cringed, and unconsciously reached for his own abdomen as Kagome clutched hers in her pain.
“I’m so sorry…that’s so unfair.” she breathed.
Smirking in amusement, Kaede attempted to lighten the mood by stating “I’ve known many wives in my day that had wished their husbands could share in the pleasures of labor.”
“Well I’m not one of them.” she answered sympathetically.
“It’s okay…” he breathed, “I can handle it.”
“But it’s not the same, is it? It’s not like it’s really your own pain you feel. Your youkai knows it’s my pain, and that’s what hurts the worst, isn’t it?”
He stared at her, mouth agape at just how well she understood him, for a human.
“I can…I can close our link…but I don’t know if I want to do that…” he admitted slowly.
“Is that what I felt before?” she asked
“You did feel that then, huh?” he asked in return, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay…” she voiced, then placing her hand upon his, “If it’ll help, if placing your youkai dormant will make you able to bear this with me…then please…for your own well being…”
“Do you ever think of yourself first?” he asked, amusement lacing his voice, as all that Midoriko had spoken was proven true time and again.
“Nope.” she chuckled.
“We’ll have to work on that.” he answered teasingly, before reaching forward to kiss her gently, as he permitted the youkai blood within his system to sleep.
Sango and Kaede stared in amazement, as the two raven haired humans before them cuddled, and glancing out the window, Kaede nodded at the evening sunshe saw still shinning brightly outside. Things would certainly be different from then on out.
“Am I correct in assuming ye shall no longer be plagued by the nights of the new moon?” she asked.
Nodding, the human Inuyasha before them answered, “As much as I hate to compare myself to that bastard in any way, it’s like what Naraku had said, regarding his own time of weakness.”
Sango seemed to understand his meaning, and nodded, continuing for him, “He said he too, being a hanyou, had such a time, but that he chose his time.”
“The power he’d acquired from the jewel had allowed it.” Kagome added.
“My youkai blood will require rest from time to time.” he spoke up again, admitting “I can feel it, when I’m human, like my youkai blood is sleeping, recharging.” Taking a deep breath, attempting to capture as much of Kagome’s scent as his human sense of smell would permit, he finished with “But…” and the way he’d announced it proved its importance, “I will no longer be a slave to the new moon. No longer will my vulnerability be a threat to my mortality.”
That said, he proceeded to clinch Kagome’s hand, as another contraction washed through her, the first of which Inuyasha could not personally feel.
Nightfall came eventually, and Inuyasha, remaining in his human form, was there for his wife, as any husband would be, as slowly but surely, her contractions grew more frequent and intense. Kagome had been able to tell that Sango, in her apprehension, likely wished her own husband to be present, and with no complaints from Inuyasha, Kagome managed to convince Kaede to permit Miroku, as well as Shippo, to reenter the hut, provided that they were seated in locations that gave them no direct view of the goings on. With each cry of pain she released, Miroku clutched his wife’s hand, silently vowing that when it was their turn, he would be there for her, just as Inuyasha was there for Kagome now.
At her side, bracing her upper body, Inuyasha had his arms wrapped protectively around his mate, as he permitted her head to rest sideways upon his shoulder between her contractions. It wasn’t too much longer before Kaede announced that Kagome was fully prepared, and instructed the girl to start the pushing process. It was slow, and tedious, and somebody had joked that the pup hadn’t wanted to make its appearance at night, because it was, after all, a cold winter’s night. Who’d want to leave the warmth of a mother’s stomach, to enter such a harsh reality?
And as it would turn out, the pup had apparently agreed with the statement wholeheartedly, as it wasn’t until the first lights of dawn could be seen shining through Kaede’s eastern window, that she announced the presence of the baby’s head.
“Hear that?” Inuyasha asked, nuzzling her side, as he gripped her tightly clinched fists in his own. “You’re almost done now, koi.”
“Hardly…” Kagome shot dryly, but pushed again nonetheless.
As the morning sun shown brightly above, and the birds that had not sought out warmer climate chirped their happy songs of breakfast, an infant’s cry could be heard breaking through the tranquil morning.
Holding a wrapped bundle of pink flesh and silver mane, Kaede, after cleaning and preparing the infant, passed it along to Inuyasha, smiling as she said
“Congratulations, My Lord, you are a father.”
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The Votes Are In….
Never in my wildest dreams had I expected such a reaction to my “Vote for the sex of the baby” ordeal. The votes were actually very, very close. It would have actually been a tie had I not included direct e-mail as an option. But here were the final results…
Review Votes: Boy 26 Girl 26
Email Votes: Boy 5 Girl 2
Final Count: Boy 31 Girl 28
Congratulations Inuyasha, it’s a Boy.