InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mating Season ❯ …So do the days of our lives ( Chapter 78 )
[ 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: 02.04.2007 | Updated On: 08.18.2008 | Pages: 5 | Words: 6.2K | Visits: 8.9K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.04.2007 | Updated On: 08.18.2008 | Pages: 5 | Words: 6.2K | Visits: 8.9K | 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 78 - …So do the days of our lives
“You get back here right now young lady!” Kagura yelled as she chased after her daughter, who could run surprisingly fast for being only one year old.
Playful yelps and barks escaped Suishoukaze’s lips, as the happy toddler scampered away from the wind-witch, and the utterly horrid evil that had been her evening bath.
Rounding the corner, the young demi-inu’s youki instantly crashed against that of another demonic aura, one much…much stronger than her own, and not belonging to her mother. Skidding to a stop, she tilted her tiny face upward in horror, scanning first past the tree trunks that were his legs, then the immense mountain range that was his chest, until finally, she spotted his disappointed face, where it reigned ever fiercely amongst the clouds. Suddenly, the pup seemed to realize just how small she truly was.
A painful whimper escaped her, as Suishoukaze instinctively begged forgiveness, her mother rounding the corner just in time to wonder what on earth had caused her to bellow so. There, she saw her daughter, wet, and naked as the day she was born, limply flop herself onto the floor before her father’s feet, tilting her head away from him, in order to bare her neck in submission.
“What did you do?” Kagura asked, nervous that he would strike such a young child, though her inu-enhanced nose detected no scent of injury.
“I am her father.” the Taiyoukai answered simply, stepping past his daughter, who remained motionless on the floor.
More frustrated than anything else, Kagura lunged her hand outward as he strode casually by, catching her mate by his empty sleeve, and giving it a tug…something she knew only she could get away with and still continue to live.
“I’m her mother!” she spat, clearly indicating that she thought their child should respect her as well.
“Then perhaps you should start treating our pup like the inu she is, and stop rejecting the instinct you acquired through our bond.” he suggested condescendingly.
“What the hell am I supposed to do?!” Kagura scoffed, “Bop her on the nose?” She was being sarcastic, but the way Sesshoumaru quirked his eyebrow indicated she wasn’t far off.
“Disobedient pups require discipline.” he stated simply, as he then continued with his journey down the hall.
Perhaps her earliest years of life being Naraku’s slave had sullied her to the idea of discipline, but reluctantly, Kagura knew her mate was right. Scooping their daughter up into her arms, she cooed in Japanese that everything was all right, while at the same time barking the inu command “Pup Behave” as she led her daughter back to the bath.
A tiny whimper of acknowledgment sounded in the back of her throat, followed shortly by the words “Hai, Okaa-sama…”
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What was wrong with her? It’d been six days. At first, she too had believed it when she told her husband that it was merely her breakfast disagreeing with her, but now, she wasn’t so sure. Six days in a row? Sango knew how much more careful one had to be in her century when it came to contaminating food, thanks to lessons from her futuristic friend, but because of that knowledge, she was probably the least likely to have accidentally served anything that had gone bad. Besides, even if that were the case, then surely, wouldn’t Miroku have gotten sick as well?
Stealthfully, Sango reached to feel her brow when her husband wasn’t looking, and released a silent breath of relief at the discovery that she at least did not have a temperature. She also had not actually lost the battle with keeping her meals down but once or twice, though she was quickly getting sick and tired of feeling so darn sick and tired. What was that phrase Kagome had used once? Stomach flu? Whatever that was… But apparently, small bouts of upset tummies weren’t necessarily as rare an occurrence as one would think. Still, shouldn’t it have come…and gone…by now?
Miroku was starting to get suspicious. Not that he knew her stomach was bothering her, but how many nights in a row was it healthy for a woman to have a ‘headache’?
She had to think of something. Perhaps all the strain of taking care of Emi had simply made her body weaker than it used to be, and less able to fight off what would have otherwise been gone in a day. Perhaps Kaede had some herbs for settling stomachs that would be safe to take while she still breastfed her daughter.
Stepping outside for some fresh air, Emi cradled securely in her arms, Miroku was quick to follow. Both adults were silent at first, each enjoying the tranquility of the world around them. In the distance, the happy squeals of playing children could be heard, two distinct voices clearly coming from the direction of Inuyasha and Kagome’s hut. Rin would have to be leaving soon, they knew, her weeklong visit quickly coming to a close. Pretty soon, Shippo would undoubtedly be bugging his parents to go back to the West so that he could visit with her yet again.
Wrapping an arm around his wife’s waist, Miroku finally thought to break the silence between them.
“How are you feeling?” he asked her, the concern behind his gaze clearly indicating he wasn’t about to take “I’m fine” for an answer.
“I have not been myself recently.” Sango finally decided upon confessing.
“So I’ve noticed.” he commented in turn.
While it may be common for some wives of the time period to dread their nights with their husbands, Sango, in truth, wasn’t one of them. Miroku wasn’t your average man of the time period, either, merely taking his own pleasure while uncaring if he let his wife go without. He always made sure that he took care of her needs first, and as a result, he had happily discovered that she was usually rather eager for their nights together. When she started having her ‘headaches’, at first, he had offered to pleasure her, even without taking anything for himself in return. Though in truth, he had believed that once her pleasure over road the pain, she would have been more than willing to allow him to seek his own desires after all, he was prepared to keep his word and go without if she still insisted. But Sango had declined the offer altogether, saying that she really wasn’t in the mood because of her discomfort, and was unwilling to grant Miroku the small amount of time he had pleaded for with which to see if he could make her feel better.
Why would she not desire to feel pleasure? Was she truly in that much discomfort? He hadn’t bothered to tell her that he’d heard it from Inuyasha that physical pleasure was actually the best cure for a headache, a discovery he’d made during a discussion they once had regarding Kagome’s futuristic books of knowledge. Apparently, in Kagome’s time, “I have a headache” was a fairly common excuse given for when women simply did not wish to bed their men. But surely, Sango wouldn’t be one to use such an excuse, would she? If there was something unpleasant with their love making experience, she should know that she could simply tell him what it was. How was anything ever supposed to get better if he remained in the dark as to whatever it was he was doing wrong?
So maybe that wasn’t it, but rather, something was honestly, truly, bothering her, that had nothing directly to do with himself.
Looking across at her then, as they stood side-by-side on their front porch, she seemed perfectly well and happy, Miroku noted, as she rocked their daughter back and forth in her arms, while making cooing noises.
“Do your headaches not bother you during the day?” he asked her, unhappily noting how she flinched at the question, a look of guilt splashing across her features.
“Miroku…” she started, hesitantly, “I have not been completely honest with you.” she confessed.
His gaze remained fixated on her, but he remained quiet, allowing her to continue while keeping in place what Kagome would surely have referred to as a “poker” face.
“Not only have I continued to have troubles with my breakfast, but now…” she released a breath and gazed down at Emi, “…my dinners seem to be bothering me as well.”
Wait…she was sick? He would have preferred it if she simply no longer desired to bed him.
“Are you all right otherwise? Do you have a fever? What are your symptoms? Do you need to sit down?” he started rattling off, and it was enough to bring her nausea to the surface.
“Please…” she pleaded for him to be quiet for a moment, holding one hand out in a gesture to stop his interrogation, while securely holding Emi to her chest with the other.
“I will cancel my appointment with Takumi.” he stated solemnly after a moment.
“No…” she answered sweetly, meeting his eyes with a gaze of appreciation, “I can’t ask you to do that.” she insisted.
“I can’t leave you alone knowing you’re sick.” he insisted in return.
“I won’t be alone for long,” she reminded him, “Kohaku is bringing Kaori over for dinner tonight. They should be here shortly.”
“Are you sure you feel up to waiting on company?” he asked skeptically, “You should rest.” he added.
“I’m fine.” she defended, then cracking a smile, she added “Besides, I’ll just make Kohaku do all the work if I don’t feel up to it. I’m not the one who has to impress that girl, after all.” she kidded.
“Sango…?” Miroku voiced, the overall question in his tone obviously meaning to ask “Are you really okay?”
“I’ll go see Kaede…” his wife assured him, addressing his unasked question.
With a reluctant nod, the unofficially reinstated monk hesitantly made his way into the village, needing to keep his business appointment, but yet, hating to leave his wife now that he knew something more serious was troubling her than merely a lack of sexual desire. He would simply have to make his meeting with the trader take as little time as possible.
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“Faster! Faster!” Rin shouted with glee, as she rode upon her friend’s back.
Doing his best to heed her request, Shippo picked up his pace, until the trees were nothing but mere blurs that zipped by them. He would be lying if he said he did not enjoy the feel of the ningen woman riding upon his back, yet he knew he could not afford to become distracted in their play, as he stretched his senses to detect all that existed in his path.
Finally, Shippo thought that he understood what it was Inuyasha had tried to explain, when it came to the feelings one got, when carrying “the right” human girl. On the few rare occasions in the past that he had been required to carry Kaede while in his horse form, he’d felt degraded, used, made into a mere servant, despite the fact that he knew it was his duty to “respect his elders” as the miko had always put it. He’d even heard his father complain on occasion, about being made into a “pack mule” whenever he’d had to carry somebody other than his mate. To be used in such a manner went against the natural dominance of their youkai instinct, and on a subconscious level, their very being argued against the notion, regardless of whether or not they knew it was the “right” thing to do at the time. Humans could never possibly understand how intensely a youkai’s instincts really did affect every other aspect of their lives.
But, Shippo found, his instincts did not fight him on this…as he continued to gallop through the woods, the laughing girl on his back holding tightly to the makeshift reins he had constructed for himself. Whenever he’d carried Kaede, it had been in a time of haste, when the miko was required to reach their destination faster than she alone could walk. While grumbling under his breath, he always complied nonetheless. Whenever he’d carried Kagome, it had been during the heat of battle, and the only thought to penetrate his mind at those times was keeping his mother safe. Now, as he carried Rin, it was in fun, as they frolicked through his father’s forest, and, Shippo found, he had never been happier.
He had done more growing up in the last few months than he had every other year of his life combine, and while he was technically still only a child, his mind had matured to a point. He knew how he felt about Rin, beyond a shadow of a doubt. What he didn’t know was how Rin truly felt about him. She was older than him. She was already a woman. What if…what if somebody else courted her? What if she had her eyes set on somebody dwelling at the castle?
“I am so glad Jaken did not come with me this time.” said girl voiced with mirth, leaping from his back once he came to a stop in order to let him retake his natural form.
She could not help the giggle that escaped her at the sight of Shippo with a leather bridle strapped to his face, until, flushing, the kitsune managed to remove the contraption. Had either of them had nastier frames of mind, some rather impure thoughts could have been derived from such an image.
“Why is that?” he asked in response to her statement, after taking a moment to get his embarrassment under control.
“Because,” she happily explained, “Jaken says that things such as this are inappropriate.” She said the last word in a sarcastic undertone, clearly stating her disagreement with the amphibian’s belief.
Shippo gulped nervously, a small flush returning to his cheeks, as he managed to squeak out “Oh?”
“Jaken is so overbearing these days.” she continued nonchalantly, oblivious to her companion’s flustered nerves.
“He says I should no longer engage in child’s play as I am no longer a child.” She stuck her tongue out to show just what she thought of that idea.
Oh… So he didn’t think of it as inappropriate in a man/woman sort of way, but rather, that as an adult, she should no longer play with children, but then…She thinks of me as a child?
“But Sesshoumaru…” She wasn’t comfortable referring to him as ‘father’ in front of others yet, “…says that he is glad that Rin has found such a good friend.”
Friend?
“You do not think that Rin is too old to play, do you Shippo?” she asked, and Shippo finally understood.
It wasn’t that she merely thought of him as a child while she had matured, but rather, Rin still wanted to think of herself as a child, too. She still would be, too, were she living in his mother’s time, and he knew that. Kagome had taken a moment to explain to him that her world had set the strict age limit of eighteen when regarding adulthood, and while she had relented that things worked differently in their time, she had explained the reasoning behind her world’s laws as being because younger teenagers simply were not yet fully matured mentally. Her body may have become an adult, but that was not to say that her mind had followed. Kagome knew she was hardly the best example for propriety, and she was a firm believer against the notion “Do as a say, not as I do” so she had requested that Shippo merely wait at least until the girl was fifteen or sixteen. The same age Kagome herself had been when she had realized that she was in love with his father. Most thirteen year olds were simply not yet ready to think about that sort of thing. True, it varied from person to person, but she knew that when she was thirteen, she had still only been interested in playing games with her friends.
Shippo relaxed when he realized that Rin wasn’t saying she wanted to only be friends, but rather, in her mind there was only “friends” for the time being. He was okay with that. He could wait. He kinda sorta had to wait, anyway, considering that while his mind had matured, it was his body that was lagging behind.
“Nah…” he finally answered her question, sporting a big, toothy grin. Once again, she showed no fear of his fangs. “Okaasan’s twenty, and she still likes to play.” he explained, knowing that Rin’s life in the castle was a little stricter than life in his village.
“Your father does not insist that she behave a certain way, as a mate is supposed to behave?”
That question had him wondering just what sort of nonsense Jaken was filling her mind with.
Shaking his head, Shippo answered “Okaasan’s gotten Otousan to like having fun himself. Often, she and Otousan play together.” Knowing how that sounded, and seeing her blush, he quickly added “Ya know, like running through the woods…and stuff.” Nervously, he shuffled his fury foot, hoping she’d change the subject soon.
“I like it out here.” she said, granting his wish, “It’s very pretty.”
You’re very pretty…
“Yeah…” he answered aloud, “But we should probably be heading back soo-”
He cut himself off when his senses suddenly went on alert. Something was out there…
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“Are ye all right, child?” asked Kaede, as she noticed the way her apprentice suddenly seemed on edge.
Even Kazuki picked up on his mother’s worry, and whimpered accordingly.
“Yeah…” Kagome mumbled after a moment, shaking her head free. Why did she suddenly have the feeling that something was wrong? “I’m fine.” she lied, unable to put a finger on whatever she felt was troubling her.
“Would ye like to take a rest before we continue?” her teacher asked, but shaking her head no, she squared her shoulders in determination.
“I’m sure it’s nothing, Kaede, and I would like to continue with our studies.” she answered.
She knew that Inuyasha was close by, and if there really was trouble, surely he would sense it himself…
“Very well, child.” Kaede answered, as she proceeded to get back to her lecture on the various herbs and medicines that Kagome had yet to learn about.
Per her duty as a miko, it was her responsibility to know everything there was to know when it came to healing, as well as spiritual purification. Fortunately, she had a vast amount of knowledge from her time when it came to treating injury and illness. Unfortunately, most of the methods of her time would prove useless, without the proper tools with which to execute the procedures. Heck, she’d needed a flea-youkai just to perform a simple blood transfusion! There was no penicillin, or antibiotics, so knowing of them, and how easily they would treat most diseases, really didn’t do her a whole lot of good. Kaede was bestowing upon her the knowledge of herbs of the time, which ones did what, that could be used in substitute for the medicines Kagome had grown up with. Secretly, she wondered how drastically it would alter the timeline if she started incorporating the mold from oranges into her arsenal, but quietly decided against it - at least on a broad scale. What was done infrequently and in secret wouldn’t hurt, right?
Shaking her thoughts free, the future-born concentrated once more on her sensei’s words, until suddenly, she caught the scent of their approaching visitor.
Kaede raised an eyebrow at the way Kagome swiftly raised her hand to politely still her speech, until the reed mat was suddenly pushed aside, as a rather pale-complected Sango entered the hut.
“Sango, child, are ye all right?” the elder of the two miko asked, as the Taijiya made her way over toward Kagome and sat down with an exhausted “Ooomph”
“I do not mean to interrupt your lessons,” she apologized, “But I have not been feeling very well as of late.”
Kagome tried to stifle her giggle at the way Kazuki and Emi immediately started to play with one another, as Sango’s daughter made a grab for her son’s fuzzy ear. Sobering, she glanced up to look her ‘sister’ in the eyes, as she asked worriedly, “What are your symptoms?”
After a rundown of what she had been feeling for the last six days, Kagome developed a look of contemplation, while Kaede seemed to adopt a rather suggestive smile.
“Are ye sure this is the first that these symptoms have ever befell ye?” she asked knowingly.
Kagome’s eyes lit up with realization, a discovery likely aided by the way she had to carefully pry Kazuki’s clawed fingers out of Emi’s hair at that moment.
Sango, obviously still in the dark, glanced briefly from one miko to the other, seeing their knowing expressions, before finally, in agitation, she asked “All right…what?”
“You did promise him ten or twenty…” Kagome pointed out suggestively, and Sango, not really too dull herself, picked up on what they were getting at with that remark.
“Are…” She placed a hand upon her belly, “Are you sure?”
“Actually, no.” Kagome admitted, “Though it certainly sounds like it.”
Kaede nodded her agreement.
“But what if I’m not?” Sango asked, not at all upset over the possibility, but just remaining concerned in case that was not what was wrong with her. After all, with Emi, she hadn’t truly started to feel sick until after she was a couple of months along.
“We should know for certain in a few short weeks.” Kaede replied, pulling Sango from her thoughts. With Kaede’s words sinking in, the ex-slayer frowned. She didn’t like the idea of waiting that long.
“You knew the very next day.” Sango spoke to her friend.
Shrugging, Kagome answered “Because of Inuyasha’s nose.” Seeing her friend’s eyes light up, she raised a hand to still her excitement, as she confessed “My sense of smell is not as strong as his. I’m sorry, but I can’t tell something like that this early.”
“Would…” she asked, hesitantly, “Would Inuyasha mind…?” She left the question floating in the air.
Placing an understanding hand upon her friend’s leg where she sat next to her, Kagome answered with a smile, “We’re all family here. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind at all.”
Nodding with a huge smile on her face, Sango was determined to get to the bottom of her “illness” without any further delay, as she excused herself from Kagome’s studies in search of her friend’s dog-eared husband.
She found him around the back of their hut, bleeding a small wild boar in apparent preparation for that night’s dinner. It may seem like a lot of food, but they did have an extra mouth to feed, after all.
The sight of the dead animal hanging by its haunches did not bother her, as she had been raised a youkai slayer, and had seen many dead creatures in her day. However, as she continued to approach, Sango did find that the scent of blood was turning her stomach. How could Inuyasha stand it? It was practically all she could smell, so surely his own nose was otherwise proving useless at the moment. Then again, it probably didn’t bother him, because being half youkai, he probably secretly adored the scent of blood…at least when it was food’s blood.
Inuyasha did in fact have difficulty detecting Sango’s scent as she approached, but he heard her just fine, and looked up to greet her with a friendly smile. A smile that was quick to fade from his lips at the look he saw on her face.
Rushing to her side, the hanyou escorted his friend around to the front of his hut, where he could still smell his catch, but she could not. Fanning her for a moment, he asked worriedly, “Sango, are you all right? What’s wrong?”
Taking a moment to catch her breath, she shook her head and said “I’m fine, just…whoa…” as she chuckled.
Inuyasha offered her a half smile in understanding, but then insisted “Okay, really, what’s wrong?”
How did she go about asking what she needed to ask?
“Can you…that is…would you mind…”
“Spill it.” he demanded, though his eyes remained friendly.
“Could you scent me?” she blurted, embarrassed.
“Huh?”
“I think I might be with child.” she explained, “But I don’t want to wait to find out for sure.” she added.
Offering her a crooked smile then, he exposed one fang as he commented “Heh, not wasting any time, are ya?”
Playfully, she slapped him in the chest, muttering “Hentai” under her breath. Then she sobered, “But what if I’m not…” she asked in worry, “…and there’s something wrong with me?”
“Okay…” he said, sobering as well, “Then let’s find out.” he agreed.
Quickly, Inuyasha shifted himself into his full-youkai form, a transition that startled the slayer.
“What?” he asked, revealing his mind was still his own, “My sense of smell is stronger like this.” he explained, adding behind a smirk “Or would you prefer I had to bury my nose into your belly?”
Blushing, she quickly stammered “N-no…that’s…that’s okay, thank you.”
Nodding, the hanyou-turned-youkai quickly lowered himself to his knees. He got his face close to her stomach, but didn’t have to actually touch her. Without so many other scents around, he could probably tell from just smelling her neck, but his nasal hairs were still tingling with the scent of his recent catch. If she just waited another week or two, he’d be able to tell a lot easier, but the whole point was that she didn’t want to wait. What if she was sick? As a female of his pack, it was his responsibility to make sure she was unharmed. Ordinarily, her mate would have been able to detect if she was with-pup, but he knew that being human, Miroku could do no such thing. Human females sometimes didn’t know until after an entire lunar cycle had passed, much too long to risk remaining sick, if something else was truly the problem.
Taking a deep whiff of her then, he instantly smiled, and she felt a flood of relief wash over her, despite the fact that the look of that smile should have given her the eebie jeebies. He was still transformed, after all.
Standing back up then, Inuyasha quickly shifted himself back into his traditional hanyou appearance, knowing that his pure-youkai form unsettled her, as he quietly offered “Congratulations…”
“Wait till I tell Miroku…” she started happily, clapping in excitement. “He’s never going to believe-”
She was cut off by Inuyasha who suddenly barked (and I mean barked) “Hush!!” as he frantically glanced around the surrounding woods.
She was surprised, but silenced herself instantly, her own senses on alert at the look of her hanyou friend’s ears turning in all directions, her breath ceasing in her throat as they suddenly stopped, and remained fixated on one, very specific direction. The direction they all knew Rin and Shippo had wandered off into earlier.
Before she could say one word, he was gone, a few fallen leaves at the edge of the woods drifting back down from where he’d disturbed them as he raced by. She would have followed after him, were it not for the infant she carried in her sling. Turning instead, Sango swiftly headed back in the direction of Kaede’s hut. She figured that by the time she reached Kagome, he would have probably already taken care of whatever was out there, but still…
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“Shippo?” Rin asked, clearly nervous, “What-?”
“Shhhhhh!”
She snapped her mouth shut, doing her best to scan their surrounding area with her weakened mortal senses. When even she began to get a feeling of evil youki nearby, she wanted to panic, but knew that Sesshoumaru would never forgive her such a suicidal reaction. Suddenly wishing instead that she had her sword, Rin was determined to protect Shippo, however well an unarmed human girl of thirteen years could protect her friend, against whatever evils were slowly encroaching upon them. She suddenly didn’t feel too well, but knew that throwing up wouldn’t help her, either.
The beast that broke through the clearing sent a shiver of fear down both their spines, but neither were quick to back down.
“You dare trespass in Inuyasha’s forest?!” Shippo shouted instantly, puffing his chest as much as he could, while deliberately placing himself between Rin and the invading youkai.
No reasonably intelligent youkai would dare breech the borders of Lord Inuyasha’s realm, hanyou or no, but as true as that may be, it offered them little assurance in that instance. As it would turn out, the youkai currently stalking them was not reasonably intelligent. It was, quite frankly, an animal - a lower level bear youkai, to be exact. Which meant that while it was beastly, and stupid, it was large, and reasonably powerful. At least against the two youngsters it had just selected as its prey.
Offering no response, though Shippo suddenly doubted the thing could even talk, it swiped without warning, sending a powerful wave of energy in the wake of its attack, similar to Inuyasha’s soul shattering iron claw.
Without thinking, he grabbed Rin’s arm, and quickly pulled her away from the blast. As small as he was, he was a youkai, and as a result, he was much, much stronger than Rin.
Both children fell to their knees as the shockwave from the attack rattled the surrounding area.
Shippo glanced up just in time to see nine-inch talons lowering upon them.
“Run!” he shouted, as he managed to shove Rin forcefully enough in the side that she rolled a few times, dodging the attack, before she quickly scampered to her feet, shouting Shippo’s name.
What she saw caused a quick breath of relief to rush past her lips, as the bear’s claws came into direct contact with a giant spinning top. Scurrying away on all-fours, Shippo did his best to create as much distance between himself and his enemy as possible, and quickly, while the bear was still distracted by his top illusion, he honed in on his nature as a kitsune, and shouted one word.
“Multiply!”
Rin blinked and rubbed her eyes, as she suddenly found herself staring at ten identical Shippos, each one pelting the bear youkai with acorns.
“Pssst” was suddenly heard off to her side, and she turned to see what looked like a stone statue, only its eyes were on her.
One by one, the bear youkai slashed through the false copies, getting angrier and angrier with every swipe.
“Take it…” the statue said, a very Shippo-like arm emerging from the stone and presenting a small toy horse.
“What about you?” she whispered back, knowing he meant for her to escape without him. “I can’t just leave you here.” she insisted.
“I’ll be right behind you, don’t worry.” he assured her, and reluctantly nodding, Rin slowly accepted the horse.
It instantly inflated, and she climbed on, the action quickly drawing the bear’s attention.
“Rin!” he shouted, as the bear ignored the last of his replicas in favor of launching an attack in the girl’s direction.
Without thinking, Shippo enlarged himself into his pink balloon-like form, taking the brunt of the attack himself.
“Shippo!” Rin shouted in turn, even as she ascended into the sky, and safety.
Seeing him transform back into his kitsune form, conscious, but bleeding, something tugged inside Rin’s heart that she’d never felt before.
“No…” she said quietly to herself, and with a new sense of determination, she steered her fantasy steed back towards the heat of battle.
“I told you to get away!” her kitsune friend and would-be savior shouted while dodging yet another attack, finally understanding how infuriating it must have been for Inuyasha all those times Kagome deliberately put herself back in danger when he’d been trying to protect her.
“I’m not leaving you behind!” she shouted in turn, finding a large branch and wielding it like a club.
“That ain’t gonna do nothing but give him a toothpick for after he eats you!” Shippo yelled, leaping into her and shoving her out of the way of the attack she’d clearly had no hope of deflecting.
Leaping to his feet then, he twirled around, and squaring off against the youkai who growled at him menacingly, he flung his arms forward and shouted “Fox Fire!”
The bear recoiled, but appeared to merely be biding his time, as he stalked back and forth just at the edge of Shippo’s flames, looking very much like a pacing tiger in a cage. Sweat began to bead on Shippo’s brow, and he knew that he could not hold that intensity of flame forever.
“Rin…” he spoke, his voice strained, “Please…” Run away he finished in his thoughts.
“I won’t leave you.” she replied softly, placing her hands upon his shoulders as she stood directly behind him, hoping he could somehow borrow her strength to increase his own.
“I…” his voice faltered, “I can’t…”
But just before his flames ran out, a cry of “Iron Reaver Soul Stealer” rang throughout the forest.
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 78 - …So do the days of our lives
“You get back here right now young lady!” Kagura yelled as she chased after her daughter, who could run surprisingly fast for being only one year old.
Playful yelps and barks escaped Suishoukaze’s lips, as the happy toddler scampered away from the wind-witch, and the utterly horrid evil that had been her evening bath.
Rounding the corner, the young demi-inu’s youki instantly crashed against that of another demonic aura, one much…much stronger than her own, and not belonging to her mother. Skidding to a stop, she tilted her tiny face upward in horror, scanning first past the tree trunks that were his legs, then the immense mountain range that was his chest, until finally, she spotted his disappointed face, where it reigned ever fiercely amongst the clouds. Suddenly, the pup seemed to realize just how small she truly was.
A painful whimper escaped her, as Suishoukaze instinctively begged forgiveness, her mother rounding the corner just in time to wonder what on earth had caused her to bellow so. There, she saw her daughter, wet, and naked as the day she was born, limply flop herself onto the floor before her father’s feet, tilting her head away from him, in order to bare her neck in submission.
“What did you do?” Kagura asked, nervous that he would strike such a young child, though her inu-enhanced nose detected no scent of injury.
“I am her father.” the Taiyoukai answered simply, stepping past his daughter, who remained motionless on the floor.
More frustrated than anything else, Kagura lunged her hand outward as he strode casually by, catching her mate by his empty sleeve, and giving it a tug…something she knew only she could get away with and still continue to live.
“I’m her mother!” she spat, clearly indicating that she thought their child should respect her as well.
“Then perhaps you should start treating our pup like the inu she is, and stop rejecting the instinct you acquired through our bond.” he suggested condescendingly.
“What the hell am I supposed to do?!” Kagura scoffed, “Bop her on the nose?” She was being sarcastic, but the way Sesshoumaru quirked his eyebrow indicated she wasn’t far off.
“Disobedient pups require discipline.” he stated simply, as he then continued with his journey down the hall.
Perhaps her earliest years of life being Naraku’s slave had sullied her to the idea of discipline, but reluctantly, Kagura knew her mate was right. Scooping their daughter up into her arms, she cooed in Japanese that everything was all right, while at the same time barking the inu command “Pup Behave” as she led her daughter back to the bath.
A tiny whimper of acknowledgment sounded in the back of her throat, followed shortly by the words “Hai, Okaa-sama…”
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What was wrong with her? It’d been six days. At first, she too had believed it when she told her husband that it was merely her breakfast disagreeing with her, but now, she wasn’t so sure. Six days in a row? Sango knew how much more careful one had to be in her century when it came to contaminating food, thanks to lessons from her futuristic friend, but because of that knowledge, she was probably the least likely to have accidentally served anything that had gone bad. Besides, even if that were the case, then surely, wouldn’t Miroku have gotten sick as well?
Stealthfully, Sango reached to feel her brow when her husband wasn’t looking, and released a silent breath of relief at the discovery that she at least did not have a temperature. She also had not actually lost the battle with keeping her meals down but once or twice, though she was quickly getting sick and tired of feeling so darn sick and tired. What was that phrase Kagome had used once? Stomach flu? Whatever that was… But apparently, small bouts of upset tummies weren’t necessarily as rare an occurrence as one would think. Still, shouldn’t it have come…and gone…by now?
Miroku was starting to get suspicious. Not that he knew her stomach was bothering her, but how many nights in a row was it healthy for a woman to have a ‘headache’?
She had to think of something. Perhaps all the strain of taking care of Emi had simply made her body weaker than it used to be, and less able to fight off what would have otherwise been gone in a day. Perhaps Kaede had some herbs for settling stomachs that would be safe to take while she still breastfed her daughter.
Stepping outside for some fresh air, Emi cradled securely in her arms, Miroku was quick to follow. Both adults were silent at first, each enjoying the tranquility of the world around them. In the distance, the happy squeals of playing children could be heard, two distinct voices clearly coming from the direction of Inuyasha and Kagome’s hut. Rin would have to be leaving soon, they knew, her weeklong visit quickly coming to a close. Pretty soon, Shippo would undoubtedly be bugging his parents to go back to the West so that he could visit with her yet again.
Wrapping an arm around his wife’s waist, Miroku finally thought to break the silence between them.
“How are you feeling?” he asked her, the concern behind his gaze clearly indicating he wasn’t about to take “I’m fine” for an answer.
“I have not been myself recently.” Sango finally decided upon confessing.
“So I’ve noticed.” he commented in turn.
While it may be common for some wives of the time period to dread their nights with their husbands, Sango, in truth, wasn’t one of them. Miroku wasn’t your average man of the time period, either, merely taking his own pleasure while uncaring if he let his wife go without. He always made sure that he took care of her needs first, and as a result, he had happily discovered that she was usually rather eager for their nights together. When she started having her ‘headaches’, at first, he had offered to pleasure her, even without taking anything for himself in return. Though in truth, he had believed that once her pleasure over road the pain, she would have been more than willing to allow him to seek his own desires after all, he was prepared to keep his word and go without if she still insisted. But Sango had declined the offer altogether, saying that she really wasn’t in the mood because of her discomfort, and was unwilling to grant Miroku the small amount of time he had pleaded for with which to see if he could make her feel better.
Why would she not desire to feel pleasure? Was she truly in that much discomfort? He hadn’t bothered to tell her that he’d heard it from Inuyasha that physical pleasure was actually the best cure for a headache, a discovery he’d made during a discussion they once had regarding Kagome’s futuristic books of knowledge. Apparently, in Kagome’s time, “I have a headache” was a fairly common excuse given for when women simply did not wish to bed their men. But surely, Sango wouldn’t be one to use such an excuse, would she? If there was something unpleasant with their love making experience, she should know that she could simply tell him what it was. How was anything ever supposed to get better if he remained in the dark as to whatever it was he was doing wrong?
So maybe that wasn’t it, but rather, something was honestly, truly, bothering her, that had nothing directly to do with himself.
Looking across at her then, as they stood side-by-side on their front porch, she seemed perfectly well and happy, Miroku noted, as she rocked their daughter back and forth in her arms, while making cooing noises.
“Do your headaches not bother you during the day?” he asked her, unhappily noting how she flinched at the question, a look of guilt splashing across her features.
“Miroku…” she started, hesitantly, “I have not been completely honest with you.” she confessed.
His gaze remained fixated on her, but he remained quiet, allowing her to continue while keeping in place what Kagome would surely have referred to as a “poker” face.
“Not only have I continued to have troubles with my breakfast, but now…” she released a breath and gazed down at Emi, “…my dinners seem to be bothering me as well.”
Wait…she was sick? He would have preferred it if she simply no longer desired to bed him.
“Are you all right otherwise? Do you have a fever? What are your symptoms? Do you need to sit down?” he started rattling off, and it was enough to bring her nausea to the surface.
“Please…” she pleaded for him to be quiet for a moment, holding one hand out in a gesture to stop his interrogation, while securely holding Emi to her chest with the other.
“I will cancel my appointment with Takumi.” he stated solemnly after a moment.
“No…” she answered sweetly, meeting his eyes with a gaze of appreciation, “I can’t ask you to do that.” she insisted.
“I can’t leave you alone knowing you’re sick.” he insisted in return.
“I won’t be alone for long,” she reminded him, “Kohaku is bringing Kaori over for dinner tonight. They should be here shortly.”
“Are you sure you feel up to waiting on company?” he asked skeptically, “You should rest.” he added.
“I’m fine.” she defended, then cracking a smile, she added “Besides, I’ll just make Kohaku do all the work if I don’t feel up to it. I’m not the one who has to impress that girl, after all.” she kidded.
“Sango…?” Miroku voiced, the overall question in his tone obviously meaning to ask “Are you really okay?”
“I’ll go see Kaede…” his wife assured him, addressing his unasked question.
With a reluctant nod, the unofficially reinstated monk hesitantly made his way into the village, needing to keep his business appointment, but yet, hating to leave his wife now that he knew something more serious was troubling her than merely a lack of sexual desire. He would simply have to make his meeting with the trader take as little time as possible.
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“Faster! Faster!” Rin shouted with glee, as she rode upon her friend’s back.
Doing his best to heed her request, Shippo picked up his pace, until the trees were nothing but mere blurs that zipped by them. He would be lying if he said he did not enjoy the feel of the ningen woman riding upon his back, yet he knew he could not afford to become distracted in their play, as he stretched his senses to detect all that existed in his path.
Finally, Shippo thought that he understood what it was Inuyasha had tried to explain, when it came to the feelings one got, when carrying “the right” human girl. On the few rare occasions in the past that he had been required to carry Kaede while in his horse form, he’d felt degraded, used, made into a mere servant, despite the fact that he knew it was his duty to “respect his elders” as the miko had always put it. He’d even heard his father complain on occasion, about being made into a “pack mule” whenever he’d had to carry somebody other than his mate. To be used in such a manner went against the natural dominance of their youkai instinct, and on a subconscious level, their very being argued against the notion, regardless of whether or not they knew it was the “right” thing to do at the time. Humans could never possibly understand how intensely a youkai’s instincts really did affect every other aspect of their lives.
But, Shippo found, his instincts did not fight him on this…as he continued to gallop through the woods, the laughing girl on his back holding tightly to the makeshift reins he had constructed for himself. Whenever he’d carried Kaede, it had been in a time of haste, when the miko was required to reach their destination faster than she alone could walk. While grumbling under his breath, he always complied nonetheless. Whenever he’d carried Kagome, it had been during the heat of battle, and the only thought to penetrate his mind at those times was keeping his mother safe. Now, as he carried Rin, it was in fun, as they frolicked through his father’s forest, and, Shippo found, he had never been happier.
He had done more growing up in the last few months than he had every other year of his life combine, and while he was technically still only a child, his mind had matured to a point. He knew how he felt about Rin, beyond a shadow of a doubt. What he didn’t know was how Rin truly felt about him. She was older than him. She was already a woman. What if…what if somebody else courted her? What if she had her eyes set on somebody dwelling at the castle?
“I am so glad Jaken did not come with me this time.” said girl voiced with mirth, leaping from his back once he came to a stop in order to let him retake his natural form.
She could not help the giggle that escaped her at the sight of Shippo with a leather bridle strapped to his face, until, flushing, the kitsune managed to remove the contraption. Had either of them had nastier frames of mind, some rather impure thoughts could have been derived from such an image.
“Why is that?” he asked in response to her statement, after taking a moment to get his embarrassment under control.
“Because,” she happily explained, “Jaken says that things such as this are inappropriate.” She said the last word in a sarcastic undertone, clearly stating her disagreement with the amphibian’s belief.
Shippo gulped nervously, a small flush returning to his cheeks, as he managed to squeak out “Oh?”
“Jaken is so overbearing these days.” she continued nonchalantly, oblivious to her companion’s flustered nerves.
“He says I should no longer engage in child’s play as I am no longer a child.” She stuck her tongue out to show just what she thought of that idea.
Oh… So he didn’t think of it as inappropriate in a man/woman sort of way, but rather, that as an adult, she should no longer play with children, but then…She thinks of me as a child?
“But Sesshoumaru…” She wasn’t comfortable referring to him as ‘father’ in front of others yet, “…says that he is glad that Rin has found such a good friend.”
Friend?
“You do not think that Rin is too old to play, do you Shippo?” she asked, and Shippo finally understood.
It wasn’t that she merely thought of him as a child while she had matured, but rather, Rin still wanted to think of herself as a child, too. She still would be, too, were she living in his mother’s time, and he knew that. Kagome had taken a moment to explain to him that her world had set the strict age limit of eighteen when regarding adulthood, and while she had relented that things worked differently in their time, she had explained the reasoning behind her world’s laws as being because younger teenagers simply were not yet fully matured mentally. Her body may have become an adult, but that was not to say that her mind had followed. Kagome knew she was hardly the best example for propriety, and she was a firm believer against the notion “Do as a say, not as I do” so she had requested that Shippo merely wait at least until the girl was fifteen or sixteen. The same age Kagome herself had been when she had realized that she was in love with his father. Most thirteen year olds were simply not yet ready to think about that sort of thing. True, it varied from person to person, but she knew that when she was thirteen, she had still only been interested in playing games with her friends.
Shippo relaxed when he realized that Rin wasn’t saying she wanted to only be friends, but rather, in her mind there was only “friends” for the time being. He was okay with that. He could wait. He kinda sorta had to wait, anyway, considering that while his mind had matured, it was his body that was lagging behind.
“Nah…” he finally answered her question, sporting a big, toothy grin. Once again, she showed no fear of his fangs. “Okaasan’s twenty, and she still likes to play.” he explained, knowing that Rin’s life in the castle was a little stricter than life in his village.
“Your father does not insist that she behave a certain way, as a mate is supposed to behave?”
That question had him wondering just what sort of nonsense Jaken was filling her mind with.
Shaking his head, Shippo answered “Okaasan’s gotten Otousan to like having fun himself. Often, she and Otousan play together.” Knowing how that sounded, and seeing her blush, he quickly added “Ya know, like running through the woods…and stuff.” Nervously, he shuffled his fury foot, hoping she’d change the subject soon.
“I like it out here.” she said, granting his wish, “It’s very pretty.”
You’re very pretty…
“Yeah…” he answered aloud, “But we should probably be heading back soo-”
He cut himself off when his senses suddenly went on alert. Something was out there…
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“Are ye all right, child?” asked Kaede, as she noticed the way her apprentice suddenly seemed on edge.
Even Kazuki picked up on his mother’s worry, and whimpered accordingly.
“Yeah…” Kagome mumbled after a moment, shaking her head free. Why did she suddenly have the feeling that something was wrong? “I’m fine.” she lied, unable to put a finger on whatever she felt was troubling her.
“Would ye like to take a rest before we continue?” her teacher asked, but shaking her head no, she squared her shoulders in determination.
“I’m sure it’s nothing, Kaede, and I would like to continue with our studies.” she answered.
She knew that Inuyasha was close by, and if there really was trouble, surely he would sense it himself…
“Very well, child.” Kaede answered, as she proceeded to get back to her lecture on the various herbs and medicines that Kagome had yet to learn about.
Per her duty as a miko, it was her responsibility to know everything there was to know when it came to healing, as well as spiritual purification. Fortunately, she had a vast amount of knowledge from her time when it came to treating injury and illness. Unfortunately, most of the methods of her time would prove useless, without the proper tools with which to execute the procedures. Heck, she’d needed a flea-youkai just to perform a simple blood transfusion! There was no penicillin, or antibiotics, so knowing of them, and how easily they would treat most diseases, really didn’t do her a whole lot of good. Kaede was bestowing upon her the knowledge of herbs of the time, which ones did what, that could be used in substitute for the medicines Kagome had grown up with. Secretly, she wondered how drastically it would alter the timeline if she started incorporating the mold from oranges into her arsenal, but quietly decided against it - at least on a broad scale. What was done infrequently and in secret wouldn’t hurt, right?
Shaking her thoughts free, the future-born concentrated once more on her sensei’s words, until suddenly, she caught the scent of their approaching visitor.
Kaede raised an eyebrow at the way Kagome swiftly raised her hand to politely still her speech, until the reed mat was suddenly pushed aside, as a rather pale-complected Sango entered the hut.
“Sango, child, are ye all right?” the elder of the two miko asked, as the Taijiya made her way over toward Kagome and sat down with an exhausted “Ooomph”
“I do not mean to interrupt your lessons,” she apologized, “But I have not been feeling very well as of late.”
Kagome tried to stifle her giggle at the way Kazuki and Emi immediately started to play with one another, as Sango’s daughter made a grab for her son’s fuzzy ear. Sobering, she glanced up to look her ‘sister’ in the eyes, as she asked worriedly, “What are your symptoms?”
After a rundown of what she had been feeling for the last six days, Kagome developed a look of contemplation, while Kaede seemed to adopt a rather suggestive smile.
“Are ye sure this is the first that these symptoms have ever befell ye?” she asked knowingly.
Kagome’s eyes lit up with realization, a discovery likely aided by the way she had to carefully pry Kazuki’s clawed fingers out of Emi’s hair at that moment.
Sango, obviously still in the dark, glanced briefly from one miko to the other, seeing their knowing expressions, before finally, in agitation, she asked “All right…what?”
“You did promise him ten or twenty…” Kagome pointed out suggestively, and Sango, not really too dull herself, picked up on what they were getting at with that remark.
“Are…” She placed a hand upon her belly, “Are you sure?”
“Actually, no.” Kagome admitted, “Though it certainly sounds like it.”
Kaede nodded her agreement.
“But what if I’m not?” Sango asked, not at all upset over the possibility, but just remaining concerned in case that was not what was wrong with her. After all, with Emi, she hadn’t truly started to feel sick until after she was a couple of months along.
“We should know for certain in a few short weeks.” Kaede replied, pulling Sango from her thoughts. With Kaede’s words sinking in, the ex-slayer frowned. She didn’t like the idea of waiting that long.
“You knew the very next day.” Sango spoke to her friend.
Shrugging, Kagome answered “Because of Inuyasha’s nose.” Seeing her friend’s eyes light up, she raised a hand to still her excitement, as she confessed “My sense of smell is not as strong as his. I’m sorry, but I can’t tell something like that this early.”
“Would…” she asked, hesitantly, “Would Inuyasha mind…?” She left the question floating in the air.
Placing an understanding hand upon her friend’s leg where she sat next to her, Kagome answered with a smile, “We’re all family here. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind at all.”
Nodding with a huge smile on her face, Sango was determined to get to the bottom of her “illness” without any further delay, as she excused herself from Kagome’s studies in search of her friend’s dog-eared husband.
She found him around the back of their hut, bleeding a small wild boar in apparent preparation for that night’s dinner. It may seem like a lot of food, but they did have an extra mouth to feed, after all.
The sight of the dead animal hanging by its haunches did not bother her, as she had been raised a youkai slayer, and had seen many dead creatures in her day. However, as she continued to approach, Sango did find that the scent of blood was turning her stomach. How could Inuyasha stand it? It was practically all she could smell, so surely his own nose was otherwise proving useless at the moment. Then again, it probably didn’t bother him, because being half youkai, he probably secretly adored the scent of blood…at least when it was food’s blood.
Inuyasha did in fact have difficulty detecting Sango’s scent as she approached, but he heard her just fine, and looked up to greet her with a friendly smile. A smile that was quick to fade from his lips at the look he saw on her face.
Rushing to her side, the hanyou escorted his friend around to the front of his hut, where he could still smell his catch, but she could not. Fanning her for a moment, he asked worriedly, “Sango, are you all right? What’s wrong?”
Taking a moment to catch her breath, she shook her head and said “I’m fine, just…whoa…” as she chuckled.
Inuyasha offered her a half smile in understanding, but then insisted “Okay, really, what’s wrong?”
How did she go about asking what she needed to ask?
“Can you…that is…would you mind…”
“Spill it.” he demanded, though his eyes remained friendly.
“Could you scent me?” she blurted, embarrassed.
“Huh?”
“I think I might be with child.” she explained, “But I don’t want to wait to find out for sure.” she added.
Offering her a crooked smile then, he exposed one fang as he commented “Heh, not wasting any time, are ya?”
Playfully, she slapped him in the chest, muttering “Hentai” under her breath. Then she sobered, “But what if I’m not…” she asked in worry, “…and there’s something wrong with me?”
“Okay…” he said, sobering as well, “Then let’s find out.” he agreed.
Quickly, Inuyasha shifted himself into his full-youkai form, a transition that startled the slayer.
“What?” he asked, revealing his mind was still his own, “My sense of smell is stronger like this.” he explained, adding behind a smirk “Or would you prefer I had to bury my nose into your belly?”
Blushing, she quickly stammered “N-no…that’s…that’s okay, thank you.”
Nodding, the hanyou-turned-youkai quickly lowered himself to his knees. He got his face close to her stomach, but didn’t have to actually touch her. Without so many other scents around, he could probably tell from just smelling her neck, but his nasal hairs were still tingling with the scent of his recent catch. If she just waited another week or two, he’d be able to tell a lot easier, but the whole point was that she didn’t want to wait. What if she was sick? As a female of his pack, it was his responsibility to make sure she was unharmed. Ordinarily, her mate would have been able to detect if she was with-pup, but he knew that being human, Miroku could do no such thing. Human females sometimes didn’t know until after an entire lunar cycle had passed, much too long to risk remaining sick, if something else was truly the problem.
Taking a deep whiff of her then, he instantly smiled, and she felt a flood of relief wash over her, despite the fact that the look of that smile should have given her the eebie jeebies. He was still transformed, after all.
Standing back up then, Inuyasha quickly shifted himself back into his traditional hanyou appearance, knowing that his pure-youkai form unsettled her, as he quietly offered “Congratulations…”
“Wait till I tell Miroku…” she started happily, clapping in excitement. “He’s never going to believe-”
She was cut off by Inuyasha who suddenly barked (and I mean barked) “Hush!!” as he frantically glanced around the surrounding woods.
She was surprised, but silenced herself instantly, her own senses on alert at the look of her hanyou friend’s ears turning in all directions, her breath ceasing in her throat as they suddenly stopped, and remained fixated on one, very specific direction. The direction they all knew Rin and Shippo had wandered off into earlier.
Before she could say one word, he was gone, a few fallen leaves at the edge of the woods drifting back down from where he’d disturbed them as he raced by. She would have followed after him, were it not for the infant she carried in her sling. Turning instead, Sango swiftly headed back in the direction of Kaede’s hut. She figured that by the time she reached Kagome, he would have probably already taken care of whatever was out there, but still…
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“Shippo?” Rin asked, clearly nervous, “What-?”
“Shhhhhh!”
She snapped her mouth shut, doing her best to scan their surrounding area with her weakened mortal senses. When even she began to get a feeling of evil youki nearby, she wanted to panic, but knew that Sesshoumaru would never forgive her such a suicidal reaction. Suddenly wishing instead that she had her sword, Rin was determined to protect Shippo, however well an unarmed human girl of thirteen years could protect her friend, against whatever evils were slowly encroaching upon them. She suddenly didn’t feel too well, but knew that throwing up wouldn’t help her, either.
The beast that broke through the clearing sent a shiver of fear down both their spines, but neither were quick to back down.
“You dare trespass in Inuyasha’s forest?!” Shippo shouted instantly, puffing his chest as much as he could, while deliberately placing himself between Rin and the invading youkai.
No reasonably intelligent youkai would dare breech the borders of Lord Inuyasha’s realm, hanyou or no, but as true as that may be, it offered them little assurance in that instance. As it would turn out, the youkai currently stalking them was not reasonably intelligent. It was, quite frankly, an animal - a lower level bear youkai, to be exact. Which meant that while it was beastly, and stupid, it was large, and reasonably powerful. At least against the two youngsters it had just selected as its prey.
Offering no response, though Shippo suddenly doubted the thing could even talk, it swiped without warning, sending a powerful wave of energy in the wake of its attack, similar to Inuyasha’s soul shattering iron claw.
Without thinking, he grabbed Rin’s arm, and quickly pulled her away from the blast. As small as he was, he was a youkai, and as a result, he was much, much stronger than Rin.
Both children fell to their knees as the shockwave from the attack rattled the surrounding area.
Shippo glanced up just in time to see nine-inch talons lowering upon them.
“Run!” he shouted, as he managed to shove Rin forcefully enough in the side that she rolled a few times, dodging the attack, before she quickly scampered to her feet, shouting Shippo’s name.
What she saw caused a quick breath of relief to rush past her lips, as the bear’s claws came into direct contact with a giant spinning top. Scurrying away on all-fours, Shippo did his best to create as much distance between himself and his enemy as possible, and quickly, while the bear was still distracted by his top illusion, he honed in on his nature as a kitsune, and shouted one word.
“Multiply!”
Rin blinked and rubbed her eyes, as she suddenly found herself staring at ten identical Shippos, each one pelting the bear youkai with acorns.
“Pssst” was suddenly heard off to her side, and she turned to see what looked like a stone statue, only its eyes were on her.
One by one, the bear youkai slashed through the false copies, getting angrier and angrier with every swipe.
“Take it…” the statue said, a very Shippo-like arm emerging from the stone and presenting a small toy horse.
“What about you?” she whispered back, knowing he meant for her to escape without him. “I can’t just leave you here.” she insisted.
“I’ll be right behind you, don’t worry.” he assured her, and reluctantly nodding, Rin slowly accepted the horse.
It instantly inflated, and she climbed on, the action quickly drawing the bear’s attention.
“Rin!” he shouted, as the bear ignored the last of his replicas in favor of launching an attack in the girl’s direction.
Without thinking, Shippo enlarged himself into his pink balloon-like form, taking the brunt of the attack himself.
“Shippo!” Rin shouted in turn, even as she ascended into the sky, and safety.
Seeing him transform back into his kitsune form, conscious, but bleeding, something tugged inside Rin’s heart that she’d never felt before.
“No…” she said quietly to herself, and with a new sense of determination, she steered her fantasy steed back towards the heat of battle.
“I told you to get away!” her kitsune friend and would-be savior shouted while dodging yet another attack, finally understanding how infuriating it must have been for Inuyasha all those times Kagome deliberately put herself back in danger when he’d been trying to protect her.
“I’m not leaving you behind!” she shouted in turn, finding a large branch and wielding it like a club.
“That ain’t gonna do nothing but give him a toothpick for after he eats you!” Shippo yelled, leaping into her and shoving her out of the way of the attack she’d clearly had no hope of deflecting.
Leaping to his feet then, he twirled around, and squaring off against the youkai who growled at him menacingly, he flung his arms forward and shouted “Fox Fire!”
The bear recoiled, but appeared to merely be biding his time, as he stalked back and forth just at the edge of Shippo’s flames, looking very much like a pacing tiger in a cage. Sweat began to bead on Shippo’s brow, and he knew that he could not hold that intensity of flame forever.
“Rin…” he spoke, his voice strained, “Please…” Run away he finished in his thoughts.
“I won’t leave you.” she replied softly, placing her hands upon his shoulders as she stood directly behind him, hoping he could somehow borrow her strength to increase his own.
“I…” his voice faltered, “I can’t…”
But just before his flames ran out, a cry of “Iron Reaver Soul Stealer” rang throughout the forest.