InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mating Season ❯ Love and Secrets ( Chapter 89 )
[ 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: 05.30.2007 | Updated On: 09.27.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 8.3K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 05.30.2007 | Updated On: 09.27.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 8.3K | 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.
========================
Chapter 89 - Love and Secrets
Unable to achieve her desired spell of unconsciousness, Kagome carefully rolled over, missing her ability to lie on her stomach. Turning to face Inuyasha, she was surprised, though only momentarily, to be met with the piercing gaze of amber staring right back at her.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked, not that the question truly needed to be voiced.
Shrugging the best she could, the miko attempted to cop-out, answering “Don’t really need as much sleep as other humans.”
The fact that he gave no immediate argument to her statement revealed that he didn’t necessarily disagree with her outright, but he did scoot himself closer to her, while placing a clawed hand delicately upon her swollen belly. It was soon joined by her own, as each parent smiled when a tiny kick was felt from within the flesh of her stomach.
“Anything on your mind?” he asked next, being sure to keep his voice low so as not to wake the toddler that was very much asleep, and in the same room.
“Nothing. Everything.” was her reply, but after having been mated to the woman lying beside him for nearly five years, Inuyasha had finally learned how to speak ‘Kagome’.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be girls this time.” he started, addressing one of her concerns. Well, the sex of their future babies wasn’t so much a concern, but it was something that bounced around in that pretty little head of hers, holding sleep at bay.
“How can you be so sure?” she asked in a light hearted manner, “You couldn’t even tell that there were two babies.” she reminded teasingly, her heightened miko abilities for sensing auras having revealed that little fact long before his youkai hearing had been able to detect duel heartbeats.
Inuyasha smiled warmly, not offended by her teasing, but then furrowed his brow, as he asked her seriously “You’re not worried, are you? Everything will be just fine, you know.”
“I know.” she assured him, not so much worried about her pregnancy, to be honest, but rather, she was worried about after the pregnancy part was over. They were going to have two babies…at the same time. But she supposed her apprehension was normal. Every expectant mother worried over having a multiple birth, right? She knew she could handle it. Hell, at least she was warned about it in advance! In the time period she was living in, Kagome knew that something like twins would most often be a complete and total surprise.
Deciding to change the subject, she whispered “How do you think Shippo did today?”
Another thing that had been buzzing around her head refusing her any sleep that night was her constant worry over whether or not her Shippo had truly been prepared to face off against The Great Lord of the Western Lands.
“Don’t worry…” Inuyasha whispered back, being the one to shrug his shoulders that time, “I’m sure he did just fine.”
“Do you think he used the Flame of Fear attack?” she asked, worrying her bottom lip.
The hanyou shuddered.
“Let’s hope so.” he answered finally, “It’s his strongest attack, save for the Wind Scar, and I seriously doubt Aniki is willing to risk getting half of his castle blown away.”
Kagome smiled at him stupidly.
“What?”
“Nothing.” she grinned, “You just don’t call your brother ‘Aniki’ very often.”
Realizing his slip of the tongue, Inuyasha granted his wife one of his rare blushes, the occurrences getting remarkably fewer and far between as he continually lost any and all shyness around his mate.
“Well shit,” he laughed awkwardly, “He is, ain’t he?” he defended, adding “And if Shippo did use that attack…” He shuddered again at the memory of being subjected to Shippo’s illusions, “…then the bastard will probably be calling me ‘Otouto’ the next time we see him.”
Kagome giggled quietly, but quickly decided to change the subject, remembering how Inuyasha had actually been subjected to two nights of nightmares thanks to ‘helping Shippo train’.
“What about Rin?” Kagome asked, meaning to voice her concerns about whether or not the girl was truly ready to accept her son’s proposal at this time.
But thanks to Kazuki, Kagome wasn’t present most of the times Rin had come to visit the village, where she watched Shippo training with Inuyasha, admiring his strength, and even taking note of some of the moves to incorporate into her own studies back home. Inuyasha had no doubt in his mind when it came to how ready the girl was to accept Shippo’s proposal.
“If I know the runt…” he answered, “…then the next time we see those two, she’ll also be pupped.”
``````````````````````````````````````````
Further into the quiet village, another fairly new hut contained people who were asleep, until a low unpleasant whine, followed by a few soft murmurs of “hungi” eventually roused the young parents from their dreams.
“All right little one.” Sango said through a yawn, as she sleepily dragged herself into her children’s bedroom, and gathered her whimpering son into her arms.
At least he’s quiet when he cries she thought, remembering well the set of lungs on her daughter, and grateful for the fact that Emi was still asleep.
Wishing to keep it that way, the slayer quickly decided to head back into the main bedchamber of her home while clutching the feeding Kichiro to her breast. Not that she truly relished in the idea of accidentally rousing her husband, either, but it was simply much too cold out in the main living area without the fire going, and her body longed for the abandoned warmth of her futon.
Slipping under the blankets as quietly and as carefully as she could, Sango had already started congratulating herself on having not lost the stealth from her training as a Taijiya, when the sudden murmur of “Can’t he learn to eat breakfast at a normal hour?” startled her from her self-revere.
“Would you call this breakfast?” she asked in turn, adding “I’d say this more qualifies as what Kagome called a ‘mid-night snack’ if I remember the term correctly.”
Rolling over to face his wife, who in truth had not woken him, as Kichiro’s original whining had been what did the trick, Miroku smirked at her sleepily, and commented “Didn’t she say those were bad for you? He’ll get fat.”
Shooting him a death glare that quickly melted into a mirthful snicker, Sango came back with “Well, we’ll just have to make sure that Uncle Kohaku takes time out of his busy schedule to help Mommy with your Taijiya training, won’t we?” That statement was addressed to Kichiro himself, as she gazed down lovingly at the nine-month-old she held tenderly.
Some people might think it odd that a monk, whose father was a monk, whose father was a monk, whose father was a monk before him, and so forth, would be so willing to allow his son to be raised as a warrior, but he held no qualms regarding his wife’s desire to pass on the traditions of her people to their children. Especially since he knew she would only be having the two of them, even if she didn’t know it yet. Quickly wishing to change the direction of his thoughts, Miroku latched onto part of what Sango had just said, as he asked in a small-talk fashion “How do you suppose Kohaku is liking married life?”
He’d hoped she’d catch the lecherous undertones he’d deliberately thrown into the question, which she did, to his relief, slapping him playfully, and successfully lightening the mood in his own heart as she grumbled back with a quietly murmured “Hentai.”
He smiled, and shrugged, and deliberately allowed her to catch him gazing at the exposed food source for their son, smirking at the glare he’d managed to rise from her in the process, all the while keeping the true nature of his most deepest thoughts completely secret and locked away. He couldn’t dare let any trace of worry grace his features, even though the truth was that he was worried. He wasn’t worried so much for Sango, as he had already taken the necessary precautions in that department, but…he was worried for Kaori. He knew the girl wasn’t proclaimed as being with child, yet, but they had only been married a few short months. Give it time. He was worried for Kagome, despite the fact that he knew her body contained youkai blood, drastically assisting in any and all healing, besides the fact that the youkai workings of her body should automatically prevent any such disasters from happening in the first place. He was also worried for Rin, who was probably becoming Shippo’s mate right at that very moment. Hopefully, though he knew it was optional, the kitsune would also perform the blood-bonding. Miroku was sure there was no way in hell that Shippo would allow Rin the ability to grow old and die. He didn’t think he could handle the idea of being immortal, himself, but if he were, then he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would do anything within his power to make sure that his wife also shared his incredibly long life span. Rin wouldn’t want to force everyone around her to watch her growing old, anyway, knowing from hearsay how depressed she had seemed in the past regarding that very notion. Surely she would jump for joy at the concept of the blood-bond, and hopefully, such a bond would also protect the girl from any future complications during childbirth.
Offering a silent prayer to any kami that would hear him, Miroku expressed his worry and concern for every young maiden, mortal or otherwise, hoping, praying that nobody would ever have to be faced with the injustice of death being the cost of life every again. It simply wasn’t right. Biting back a single tear that threatened to fall, he was grateful in that moment for the fact that Sango had since turned away in her concentration of Kichiro, as he recalled sadly how he’d never known his own mother. Her life had been traded for his. How was that fair? What gave the gods the right to decide that she needed to die in order for him to live? Miroku knew he was being irrational, that sometimes, tragedies just happened, and the gods had nothing to do with it, but…why? His family had already been cursed, his grandfather having to watch in horror as he passed his curse along to his son. All his father’s life, Miroku knew, he’d had it drilled into him by his grandfather, just as he himself had been taught by his father, and then by Master Mushin after him…Find a woman, produce an heir, continue the line. How was it fair, for his father, to find himself a wife with which to continue the family line, already knowing his children shall be cursed until the dark hanyou falls, only to have his lovely wife fall at the very hands of childbirth. Was that another part of Naraku’s curse? Was he truly not freed from the dark hanyou’s lingering effects? Such a fate would have befallen Sango and himself, had it not been for Lord Sesshoumaru’s interference. Never before, throughout all their travels, had Miroku truly ever offered the Taiyoukai the respect he deserved in title, and now that they were family and such formalities were no longer required, he couldn’t help but to think of the man as the Lord that he was. He was forever indebted to the Taiyoukai, no matter what any body else, including Sesshoumaru himself, had to say on the matter.
`````````````````````````````````````````````````
Lord Sesshoumaru smirked silently to himself, his outward appearance void of any telltale signs of the emotional discharge. Rin was late. She had never before been late for breakfast, or any other meal for that matter, save for the times when that kitsune visited the castle. Frowning to himself next, though his face still remained as stoic as ever, Sesshoumaru thought to correct himself. “That kitsune” had a name, and it was Shippo, and he would address the young man as such from there on out, whether it be in the privacy of his own thoughts, or otherwise. Finally announcing that they would wait for them no longer, and that an appropriate amount of food was to be set aside for both Rin and her mate for whenever they were ready, Sesshoumaru granted permission for those present at the table to begin their meal.
Rin woke up lazily, blinking in surprise at the position of the sun based upon the brightness in her room. How on Earth had she slept in so late? And why did she still feel so tired? But never mind that, she had just had the most wonderful dream. Surely it was only a dream, because had it been real, then she would be feeling sore now, wouldn’t she? Glancing beside herself, just in case, she was somewhat disappointed to find that the space was empty. Taking a deep breath, meaning to clear her thoughts, the human girl was instantly surprised by the bombardment of so many different scents, her groggy mind having a bit of trouble making sense of them all. Instantly, she looked down at her right wrist, and nearly screamed for joy at the sight of the iridescent scar adorning her flesh. It was also in that moment that she realized she was still naked. Definitely not a dream.
Leaping to her feet, grabbing a robe along her way, she followed her nose, and quickly found herself standing outside on her balcony, once again mesmerized by the smell of the ocean. She imagined that were all else quiet, she would probably be able to hear the ocean, the distant call of an occasional sea bird somehow reaching her ears in the echoing morning. But those discoveries weren’t the cause of her most unbridled joy at that moment. Rather, it was the titian haired kitsune, dressed only in a sleeping yukata, which instantly diverted her attention away from anything else. She had to giggle at the way the simple garment puffed out comically in the back, thinking to herself how she’d have to tailor a few robes to accommodate her mate’s unique physical attributes.
“You’re up.” said fox-youkai commented with a grin upon hearing her arrival behind him.
“I missed you.” she answered, meaning to inquire as to why he had not stayed in bed with her.
“I didn’t want to wake you.” he explained quietly, a cute yet confusing blush rising upon his cheeks.
“Wake me?” she repeated, not catching his meaning, “I would love nothing more than to wake in your arms, though I doubt merely holding me would have woken me.”
“I doubt I could have remained merely holding you.” he countered, his blush darkening.
Realization dawned in the girl who wasn’t quite as naive as she used to be, surprising Shippo when her reaction to his comment was an instant increase in her own arousal. Groaning, Shippo approached her a few paces, before forcing himself to remain still, gesturing with his hands as though he wished for Rin to stop her actions, though she wasn’t truthfully doing anything that she could stop.
“I’m sure it’s too soon for you.” he started, and realization dawned for the mostly human girl yet again.
“Not at all.” she answered, holding her wrist forward.
That time it was Shippo’s eyes that widened in realization, having somehow expected the girl to be in pain that morning. He recalled the discomfort Kagome had experienced in the beginning, though she’d done her best to keep it private, but then he remembered that his parents hadn’t performed the blood-bond right away, so Kagome hadn’t had the benefit of youkai healing after their first rut.
“You sure?” he asked just to be sure, his voice suddenly dropping an octave.
Rin had to giggle at the way his robe now puffed out in the front, too.
`````````````````````````````````````
The day went by peacefully for those back at the village. Thanks to Kagome’s youkai blood, she still had enough energy to keep herself going throughout the days’ activities, despite the fact that sleep never found her the night before. She and Inuyasha had stayed up talking, something they hadn’t done in a very long time, and she actually looked back on the night with a smile. She remembered all the nights, so long ago, when she had wished he would open up to her, wished he would speak with her, before they had become mates. He was a completely changed hanyou nowadays, only showing remnants of the man he used to be whenever it came to battle. He still fought pretty much the same way, even if his techniques and posturing had improved somewhat over the years.
With autumn underway, much of the village was in preparation for the upcoming winter. There was plenty of firewood in the reserves for the time being, thanks to Inuyasha, but everyone still needed to harvest as much food as they possibly could, before the earth became too cold to produce any. That included Kagome, as she tended to her own vegetable garden, a garden that had grown remarkably bigger over the years, though it was in no way large enough to feed the entire village by itself. It certainly helped, though, as Kagome took to growing things much of the rest of the village did not, save for Sango. She had brought many of the seeds from her time, though she made sure that neither she nor her friend had planted anything that was actually foreign to Japanese soil. Didn’t want to screw with history, after all. But having easy access to things that their time considered “rare” meant that they did have quite an array of items outside that of the large rice fields that had previously been the village’s main food source. Thanks to her youkai blood, her human metabolism had also changed, and Kagome knew she could survive on mostly meat alone, along with the rest of her family, she so shared most of her vegetables with the rest of the village, keeping very little, if anything, for herself.
Allowing her mind to wander once more, Kagome focused only halfway on the task at hand, as she couldn’t help but to think about how much she was going to miss Shippo. They had all discussed his desires and decisions prior to his official letter to Sesshoumaru being sent, and Shippo had made it known that he couldn’t find it within himself to force Rin to leave the only place she’d ever truly called home. While he knew the girl loved visiting his village, the castle in the West was where she belonged, and if he was going to be mating the girl, then he belonged wherever she was, simple as that. Kagome hadn’t been able to stop a few tears from falling, though mostly, they were tears of joy. Her little boy was all grown up. She had only made sure to make Shippo promise that he and Rin would visit as often as they could, to which he readily agreed. The early morning of his departure for the West, she had hugged him goodbye, surprising him when he looked down into his clawed hand to find that his mother had shoved a few more leaves into it. Having learned which leaf it was that he used for his transformations, she had sought it out, and gathered a few more for him. Little did she know that he wouldn’t be using any of his magical leaves at all, during his ‘battle’ with Sesshoumaru, but at least he was well armed should anything seek to attack him during his five-hour journey.
Kagome was pulled from her musings when she pricked her finger on a thorn. Well, that was what she got for not paying attention…she scolded herself playfully. She was just about to bring the single bead of blood to her lips, intent on licking it clean, when she blinked in surprise, suddenly finding herself nose to nose with her mate. Wordlessly, Inuyasha took her hand, still posed with all her fingers folded down, save for the index finger, which contained the drop of blood, and brought the wound to his own mouth, instead.
Kagome shivered involuntarily at the sensation, suddenly recalling the very first time he’d ever done that, long before they were mates. The scene was eerily identical, except no words passed between them in his care of her finger, as he pulled a tiny cloth free from his robe, and ripped an even smaller piece from it, to wrap around her injury. This time, she didn’t protest his abuse of the handkerchief, and in turn, he didn’t call her stupid, or clumsy, or scorn her for having injured herself. He merely tied off the tiny makeshift bandage, and then offered her a caring smile, followed by a short, chaste kiss. Yes, he was definitely a changed hanyou, though she wouldn’t have him any other way. Before he could escape, she yanked firmly on his forelocks, bringing his mouth back down to hers, and the second kiss to pass between them was anything but chaste.
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` `
Settling in for the night, Sango made sure that both Emi and Kichiro were sleeping soundly before staggering her tired, worn out body into the bedchamber. She too had been working in the gardens all day, and the cry of her futon was very alluring. Snuggling against the man who laid beside her, Sango’s cool body desperately sought his warmth. First an arm was wrapped around her, and then a leg, and then a timely shift of his hips in her direction triggered the warmth she had been seeking. Suddenly, Sango realized, it was actually getting very hot.
“Mmmmm” she moaned, as Miroku’s talented tongue found its way to her neck, delicately teasing the flesh there, before he brought his mouth to her own in a searing kiss.
Suddenly, Kirara, who had appeared to be sleeping soundly in the corner of the room, got up and trotted herself right onto the middle of the futon, snuggling herself against Sango’s tummy, over the layers of blankets.
“Kirara…” Sango protested quietly, wondering what was up with her.
Running a hand through the neko’s fur revealed that Kirara did feel a little cool to the touch, as her corner had undoubtedly been rather chilly, but Sango’s brow furrowed when she realized that was no excuse.
“You’re not fooling anyone.” she scolded playfully, adding “We all know youkai don’t get cold. Especially fire youkai.”
Then Miroku added his two cents, as the saying goes, sounding rather bent out of shape as he ground out “Do you mind?” in the fire-cat’s direction.
Kirara seemingly ignored them both, as she merely curled herself up into a tighter ball, and proceeded to appear to fall right back asleep, on top of the blankets, laying directly between Miroku and Sango. The slayer, for her part, wondered what on Earth was up with her feline companion, as usually, Kirara knew perfectly well when to excuse herself for the night. But sometimes she got possessive, like tonight, and the only thing Sango could think of was that perhaps Kirara was feeling a little neglected… After all, whenever Sango wasn’t snuggling all love-bunny with her husband, she was rushing around taking care of their two children, and any spare time she could dig up was usually spent performing village duties, such as the harvesting she had participated in today. Poor Kirara. She must have been feeling left out. Sango knew that the neko was more than just a pet. Kirara was very intelligent, just like a person, and she wasn’t a pet, Sango insisted in her mind…she was a member of the family. It was time she remembered that.
“Have I been ignoring you? I’m sorry.” she cooed quietly in the neko’s direction, running her fingers through the feline’s soft fur. Kirara seemed to purr in her sleep at the attention.
Turning her gaze apologetically to her husband, she mumbled an “I’m sorry…I’ll make it up to you.”
Miroku smiled understandingly, and assured her “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” as he leaned forward and gave her another, much gentler kiss, before settling himself back into a comfortable position for sleep.
But despite appearances, the monk laid awake for some time after that, waiting until after he heard the even breathing of his wife, indicating that Sango had fallen asleep. Tilting his eyes downward, the moonlight through the window provided enough illumination for him to make out the shape of Kirara’s form upon the blankets.
“Kirara…” he started, whispering incredibly softly so as not to risk waking his wife, knowing that the neko-youkai would hear him.
She didn’t move, save for her twin tails, which he saw flicker lightly a few times, indicating that she was listening.
“Thank you.” he added then, smiling when he saw the cat’s tails flick once more, acknowledging the gesture as Kirara’s way of saying “You’re welcome.”
````````````````````````
A/N:
Ju st a quick notice for everyone. Please be prepared for larger jumps in the time span between the remaining chapters to come. After all, I’ve only got eleven more chapters to go, and we’re still in the freakin’ Sengoku Jidai, for crying out loud. But don’t worry, in the words of Sledge Hammer (for anyone who may know what I’m talking about) Trust me…I know what I’m doing.
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
========================
Chapter 89 - Love and Secrets
Unable to achieve her desired spell of unconsciousness, Kagome carefully rolled over, missing her ability to lie on her stomach. Turning to face Inuyasha, she was surprised, though only momentarily, to be met with the piercing gaze of amber staring right back at her.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked, not that the question truly needed to be voiced.
Shrugging the best she could, the miko attempted to cop-out, answering “Don’t really need as much sleep as other humans.”
The fact that he gave no immediate argument to her statement revealed that he didn’t necessarily disagree with her outright, but he did scoot himself closer to her, while placing a clawed hand delicately upon her swollen belly. It was soon joined by her own, as each parent smiled when a tiny kick was felt from within the flesh of her stomach.
“Anything on your mind?” he asked next, being sure to keep his voice low so as not to wake the toddler that was very much asleep, and in the same room.
“Nothing. Everything.” was her reply, but after having been mated to the woman lying beside him for nearly five years, Inuyasha had finally learned how to speak ‘Kagome’.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be girls this time.” he started, addressing one of her concerns. Well, the sex of their future babies wasn’t so much a concern, but it was something that bounced around in that pretty little head of hers, holding sleep at bay.
“How can you be so sure?” she asked in a light hearted manner, “You couldn’t even tell that there were two babies.” she reminded teasingly, her heightened miko abilities for sensing auras having revealed that little fact long before his youkai hearing had been able to detect duel heartbeats.
Inuyasha smiled warmly, not offended by her teasing, but then furrowed his brow, as he asked her seriously “You’re not worried, are you? Everything will be just fine, you know.”
“I know.” she assured him, not so much worried about her pregnancy, to be honest, but rather, she was worried about after the pregnancy part was over. They were going to have two babies…at the same time. But she supposed her apprehension was normal. Every expectant mother worried over having a multiple birth, right? She knew she could handle it. Hell, at least she was warned about it in advance! In the time period she was living in, Kagome knew that something like twins would most often be a complete and total surprise.
Deciding to change the subject, she whispered “How do you think Shippo did today?”
Another thing that had been buzzing around her head refusing her any sleep that night was her constant worry over whether or not her Shippo had truly been prepared to face off against The Great Lord of the Western Lands.
“Don’t worry…” Inuyasha whispered back, being the one to shrug his shoulders that time, “I’m sure he did just fine.”
“Do you think he used the Flame of Fear attack?” she asked, worrying her bottom lip.
The hanyou shuddered.
“Let’s hope so.” he answered finally, “It’s his strongest attack, save for the Wind Scar, and I seriously doubt Aniki is willing to risk getting half of his castle blown away.”
Kagome smiled at him stupidly.
“What?”
“Nothing.” she grinned, “You just don’t call your brother ‘Aniki’ very often.”
Realizing his slip of the tongue, Inuyasha granted his wife one of his rare blushes, the occurrences getting remarkably fewer and far between as he continually lost any and all shyness around his mate.
“Well shit,” he laughed awkwardly, “He is, ain’t he?” he defended, adding “And if Shippo did use that attack…” He shuddered again at the memory of being subjected to Shippo’s illusions, “…then the bastard will probably be calling me ‘Otouto’ the next time we see him.”
Kagome giggled quietly, but quickly decided to change the subject, remembering how Inuyasha had actually been subjected to two nights of nightmares thanks to ‘helping Shippo train’.
“What about Rin?” Kagome asked, meaning to voice her concerns about whether or not the girl was truly ready to accept her son’s proposal at this time.
But thanks to Kazuki, Kagome wasn’t present most of the times Rin had come to visit the village, where she watched Shippo training with Inuyasha, admiring his strength, and even taking note of some of the moves to incorporate into her own studies back home. Inuyasha had no doubt in his mind when it came to how ready the girl was to accept Shippo’s proposal.
“If I know the runt…” he answered, “…then the next time we see those two, she’ll also be pupped.”
``````````````````````````````````````````
Further into the quiet village, another fairly new hut contained people who were asleep, until a low unpleasant whine, followed by a few soft murmurs of “hungi” eventually roused the young parents from their dreams.
“All right little one.” Sango said through a yawn, as she sleepily dragged herself into her children’s bedroom, and gathered her whimpering son into her arms.
At least he’s quiet when he cries she thought, remembering well the set of lungs on her daughter, and grateful for the fact that Emi was still asleep.
Wishing to keep it that way, the slayer quickly decided to head back into the main bedchamber of her home while clutching the feeding Kichiro to her breast. Not that she truly relished in the idea of accidentally rousing her husband, either, but it was simply much too cold out in the main living area without the fire going, and her body longed for the abandoned warmth of her futon.
Slipping under the blankets as quietly and as carefully as she could, Sango had already started congratulating herself on having not lost the stealth from her training as a Taijiya, when the sudden murmur of “Can’t he learn to eat breakfast at a normal hour?” startled her from her self-revere.
“Would you call this breakfast?” she asked in turn, adding “I’d say this more qualifies as what Kagome called a ‘mid-night snack’ if I remember the term correctly.”
Rolling over to face his wife, who in truth had not woken him, as Kichiro’s original whining had been what did the trick, Miroku smirked at her sleepily, and commented “Didn’t she say those were bad for you? He’ll get fat.”
Shooting him a death glare that quickly melted into a mirthful snicker, Sango came back with “Well, we’ll just have to make sure that Uncle Kohaku takes time out of his busy schedule to help Mommy with your Taijiya training, won’t we?” That statement was addressed to Kichiro himself, as she gazed down lovingly at the nine-month-old she held tenderly.
Some people might think it odd that a monk, whose father was a monk, whose father was a monk, whose father was a monk before him, and so forth, would be so willing to allow his son to be raised as a warrior, but he held no qualms regarding his wife’s desire to pass on the traditions of her people to their children. Especially since he knew she would only be having the two of them, even if she didn’t know it yet. Quickly wishing to change the direction of his thoughts, Miroku latched onto part of what Sango had just said, as he asked in a small-talk fashion “How do you suppose Kohaku is liking married life?”
He’d hoped she’d catch the lecherous undertones he’d deliberately thrown into the question, which she did, to his relief, slapping him playfully, and successfully lightening the mood in his own heart as she grumbled back with a quietly murmured “Hentai.”
He smiled, and shrugged, and deliberately allowed her to catch him gazing at the exposed food source for their son, smirking at the glare he’d managed to rise from her in the process, all the while keeping the true nature of his most deepest thoughts completely secret and locked away. He couldn’t dare let any trace of worry grace his features, even though the truth was that he was worried. He wasn’t worried so much for Sango, as he had already taken the necessary precautions in that department, but…he was worried for Kaori. He knew the girl wasn’t proclaimed as being with child, yet, but they had only been married a few short months. Give it time. He was worried for Kagome, despite the fact that he knew her body contained youkai blood, drastically assisting in any and all healing, besides the fact that the youkai workings of her body should automatically prevent any such disasters from happening in the first place. He was also worried for Rin, who was probably becoming Shippo’s mate right at that very moment. Hopefully, though he knew it was optional, the kitsune would also perform the blood-bonding. Miroku was sure there was no way in hell that Shippo would allow Rin the ability to grow old and die. He didn’t think he could handle the idea of being immortal, himself, but if he were, then he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would do anything within his power to make sure that his wife also shared his incredibly long life span. Rin wouldn’t want to force everyone around her to watch her growing old, anyway, knowing from hearsay how depressed she had seemed in the past regarding that very notion. Surely she would jump for joy at the concept of the blood-bond, and hopefully, such a bond would also protect the girl from any future complications during childbirth.
Offering a silent prayer to any kami that would hear him, Miroku expressed his worry and concern for every young maiden, mortal or otherwise, hoping, praying that nobody would ever have to be faced with the injustice of death being the cost of life every again. It simply wasn’t right. Biting back a single tear that threatened to fall, he was grateful in that moment for the fact that Sango had since turned away in her concentration of Kichiro, as he recalled sadly how he’d never known his own mother. Her life had been traded for his. How was that fair? What gave the gods the right to decide that she needed to die in order for him to live? Miroku knew he was being irrational, that sometimes, tragedies just happened, and the gods had nothing to do with it, but…why? His family had already been cursed, his grandfather having to watch in horror as he passed his curse along to his son. All his father’s life, Miroku knew, he’d had it drilled into him by his grandfather, just as he himself had been taught by his father, and then by Master Mushin after him…Find a woman, produce an heir, continue the line. How was it fair, for his father, to find himself a wife with which to continue the family line, already knowing his children shall be cursed until the dark hanyou falls, only to have his lovely wife fall at the very hands of childbirth. Was that another part of Naraku’s curse? Was he truly not freed from the dark hanyou’s lingering effects? Such a fate would have befallen Sango and himself, had it not been for Lord Sesshoumaru’s interference. Never before, throughout all their travels, had Miroku truly ever offered the Taiyoukai the respect he deserved in title, and now that they were family and such formalities were no longer required, he couldn’t help but to think of the man as the Lord that he was. He was forever indebted to the Taiyoukai, no matter what any body else, including Sesshoumaru himself, had to say on the matter.
`````````````````````````````````````````````````
Lord Sesshoumaru smirked silently to himself, his outward appearance void of any telltale signs of the emotional discharge. Rin was late. She had never before been late for breakfast, or any other meal for that matter, save for the times when that kitsune visited the castle. Frowning to himself next, though his face still remained as stoic as ever, Sesshoumaru thought to correct himself. “That kitsune” had a name, and it was Shippo, and he would address the young man as such from there on out, whether it be in the privacy of his own thoughts, or otherwise. Finally announcing that they would wait for them no longer, and that an appropriate amount of food was to be set aside for both Rin and her mate for whenever they were ready, Sesshoumaru granted permission for those present at the table to begin their meal.
Rin woke up lazily, blinking in surprise at the position of the sun based upon the brightness in her room. How on Earth had she slept in so late? And why did she still feel so tired? But never mind that, she had just had the most wonderful dream. Surely it was only a dream, because had it been real, then she would be feeling sore now, wouldn’t she? Glancing beside herself, just in case, she was somewhat disappointed to find that the space was empty. Taking a deep breath, meaning to clear her thoughts, the human girl was instantly surprised by the bombardment of so many different scents, her groggy mind having a bit of trouble making sense of them all. Instantly, she looked down at her right wrist, and nearly screamed for joy at the sight of the iridescent scar adorning her flesh. It was also in that moment that she realized she was still naked. Definitely not a dream.
Leaping to her feet, grabbing a robe along her way, she followed her nose, and quickly found herself standing outside on her balcony, once again mesmerized by the smell of the ocean. She imagined that were all else quiet, she would probably be able to hear the ocean, the distant call of an occasional sea bird somehow reaching her ears in the echoing morning. But those discoveries weren’t the cause of her most unbridled joy at that moment. Rather, it was the titian haired kitsune, dressed only in a sleeping yukata, which instantly diverted her attention away from anything else. She had to giggle at the way the simple garment puffed out comically in the back, thinking to herself how she’d have to tailor a few robes to accommodate her mate’s unique physical attributes.
“You’re up.” said fox-youkai commented with a grin upon hearing her arrival behind him.
“I missed you.” she answered, meaning to inquire as to why he had not stayed in bed with her.
“I didn’t want to wake you.” he explained quietly, a cute yet confusing blush rising upon his cheeks.
“Wake me?” she repeated, not catching his meaning, “I would love nothing more than to wake in your arms, though I doubt merely holding me would have woken me.”
“I doubt I could have remained merely holding you.” he countered, his blush darkening.
Realization dawned in the girl who wasn’t quite as naive as she used to be, surprising Shippo when her reaction to his comment was an instant increase in her own arousal. Groaning, Shippo approached her a few paces, before forcing himself to remain still, gesturing with his hands as though he wished for Rin to stop her actions, though she wasn’t truthfully doing anything that she could stop.
“I’m sure it’s too soon for you.” he started, and realization dawned for the mostly human girl yet again.
“Not at all.” she answered, holding her wrist forward.
That time it was Shippo’s eyes that widened in realization, having somehow expected the girl to be in pain that morning. He recalled the discomfort Kagome had experienced in the beginning, though she’d done her best to keep it private, but then he remembered that his parents hadn’t performed the blood-bond right away, so Kagome hadn’t had the benefit of youkai healing after their first rut.
“You sure?” he asked just to be sure, his voice suddenly dropping an octave.
Rin had to giggle at the way his robe now puffed out in the front, too.
`````````````````````````````````````
The day went by peacefully for those back at the village. Thanks to Kagome’s youkai blood, she still had enough energy to keep herself going throughout the days’ activities, despite the fact that sleep never found her the night before. She and Inuyasha had stayed up talking, something they hadn’t done in a very long time, and she actually looked back on the night with a smile. She remembered all the nights, so long ago, when she had wished he would open up to her, wished he would speak with her, before they had become mates. He was a completely changed hanyou nowadays, only showing remnants of the man he used to be whenever it came to battle. He still fought pretty much the same way, even if his techniques and posturing had improved somewhat over the years.
With autumn underway, much of the village was in preparation for the upcoming winter. There was plenty of firewood in the reserves for the time being, thanks to Inuyasha, but everyone still needed to harvest as much food as they possibly could, before the earth became too cold to produce any. That included Kagome, as she tended to her own vegetable garden, a garden that had grown remarkably bigger over the years, though it was in no way large enough to feed the entire village by itself. It certainly helped, though, as Kagome took to growing things much of the rest of the village did not, save for Sango. She had brought many of the seeds from her time, though she made sure that neither she nor her friend had planted anything that was actually foreign to Japanese soil. Didn’t want to screw with history, after all. But having easy access to things that their time considered “rare” meant that they did have quite an array of items outside that of the large rice fields that had previously been the village’s main food source. Thanks to her youkai blood, her human metabolism had also changed, and Kagome knew she could survive on mostly meat alone, along with the rest of her family, she so shared most of her vegetables with the rest of the village, keeping very little, if anything, for herself.
Allowing her mind to wander once more, Kagome focused only halfway on the task at hand, as she couldn’t help but to think about how much she was going to miss Shippo. They had all discussed his desires and decisions prior to his official letter to Sesshoumaru being sent, and Shippo had made it known that he couldn’t find it within himself to force Rin to leave the only place she’d ever truly called home. While he knew the girl loved visiting his village, the castle in the West was where she belonged, and if he was going to be mating the girl, then he belonged wherever she was, simple as that. Kagome hadn’t been able to stop a few tears from falling, though mostly, they were tears of joy. Her little boy was all grown up. She had only made sure to make Shippo promise that he and Rin would visit as often as they could, to which he readily agreed. The early morning of his departure for the West, she had hugged him goodbye, surprising him when he looked down into his clawed hand to find that his mother had shoved a few more leaves into it. Having learned which leaf it was that he used for his transformations, she had sought it out, and gathered a few more for him. Little did she know that he wouldn’t be using any of his magical leaves at all, during his ‘battle’ with Sesshoumaru, but at least he was well armed should anything seek to attack him during his five-hour journey.
Kagome was pulled from her musings when she pricked her finger on a thorn. Well, that was what she got for not paying attention…she scolded herself playfully. She was just about to bring the single bead of blood to her lips, intent on licking it clean, when she blinked in surprise, suddenly finding herself nose to nose with her mate. Wordlessly, Inuyasha took her hand, still posed with all her fingers folded down, save for the index finger, which contained the drop of blood, and brought the wound to his own mouth, instead.
Kagome shivered involuntarily at the sensation, suddenly recalling the very first time he’d ever done that, long before they were mates. The scene was eerily identical, except no words passed between them in his care of her finger, as he pulled a tiny cloth free from his robe, and ripped an even smaller piece from it, to wrap around her injury. This time, she didn’t protest his abuse of the handkerchief, and in turn, he didn’t call her stupid, or clumsy, or scorn her for having injured herself. He merely tied off the tiny makeshift bandage, and then offered her a caring smile, followed by a short, chaste kiss. Yes, he was definitely a changed hanyou, though she wouldn’t have him any other way. Before he could escape, she yanked firmly on his forelocks, bringing his mouth back down to hers, and the second kiss to pass between them was anything but chaste.
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` `
Settling in for the night, Sango made sure that both Emi and Kichiro were sleeping soundly before staggering her tired, worn out body into the bedchamber. She too had been working in the gardens all day, and the cry of her futon was very alluring. Snuggling against the man who laid beside her, Sango’s cool body desperately sought his warmth. First an arm was wrapped around her, and then a leg, and then a timely shift of his hips in her direction triggered the warmth she had been seeking. Suddenly, Sango realized, it was actually getting very hot.
“Mmmmm” she moaned, as Miroku’s talented tongue found its way to her neck, delicately teasing the flesh there, before he brought his mouth to her own in a searing kiss.
Suddenly, Kirara, who had appeared to be sleeping soundly in the corner of the room, got up and trotted herself right onto the middle of the futon, snuggling herself against Sango’s tummy, over the layers of blankets.
“Kirara…” Sango protested quietly, wondering what was up with her.
Running a hand through the neko’s fur revealed that Kirara did feel a little cool to the touch, as her corner had undoubtedly been rather chilly, but Sango’s brow furrowed when she realized that was no excuse.
“You’re not fooling anyone.” she scolded playfully, adding “We all know youkai don’t get cold. Especially fire youkai.”
Then Miroku added his two cents, as the saying goes, sounding rather bent out of shape as he ground out “Do you mind?” in the fire-cat’s direction.
Kirara seemingly ignored them both, as she merely curled herself up into a tighter ball, and proceeded to appear to fall right back asleep, on top of the blankets, laying directly between Miroku and Sango. The slayer, for her part, wondered what on Earth was up with her feline companion, as usually, Kirara knew perfectly well when to excuse herself for the night. But sometimes she got possessive, like tonight, and the only thing Sango could think of was that perhaps Kirara was feeling a little neglected… After all, whenever Sango wasn’t snuggling all love-bunny with her husband, she was rushing around taking care of their two children, and any spare time she could dig up was usually spent performing village duties, such as the harvesting she had participated in today. Poor Kirara. She must have been feeling left out. Sango knew that the neko was more than just a pet. Kirara was very intelligent, just like a person, and she wasn’t a pet, Sango insisted in her mind…she was a member of the family. It was time she remembered that.
“Have I been ignoring you? I’m sorry.” she cooed quietly in the neko’s direction, running her fingers through the feline’s soft fur. Kirara seemed to purr in her sleep at the attention.
Turning her gaze apologetically to her husband, she mumbled an “I’m sorry…I’ll make it up to you.”
Miroku smiled understandingly, and assured her “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” as he leaned forward and gave her another, much gentler kiss, before settling himself back into a comfortable position for sleep.
But despite appearances, the monk laid awake for some time after that, waiting until after he heard the even breathing of his wife, indicating that Sango had fallen asleep. Tilting his eyes downward, the moonlight through the window provided enough illumination for him to make out the shape of Kirara’s form upon the blankets.
“Kirara…” he started, whispering incredibly softly so as not to risk waking his wife, knowing that the neko-youkai would hear him.
She didn’t move, save for her twin tails, which he saw flicker lightly a few times, indicating that she was listening.
“Thank you.” he added then, smiling when he saw the cat’s tails flick once more, acknowledging the gesture as Kirara’s way of saying “You’re welcome.”
````````````````````````
A/N:
Ju st a quick notice for everyone. Please be prepared for larger jumps in the time span between the remaining chapters to come. After all, I’ve only got eleven more chapters to go, and we’re still in the freakin’ Sengoku Jidai, for crying out loud. But don’t worry, in the words of Sledge Hammer (for anyone who may know what I’m talking about) Trust me…I know what I’m doing.