InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mating Season ❯ Won’t let go till it bleeds ( Chapter 91 )
[ 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: 06.20.2007 | Updated On: 09.27.2008 | Pages: 5 | Words: 8.4K | Visits: 8.2K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 06.20.2007 | Updated On: 09.27.2008 | Pages: 5 | Words: 8.4K | Visits: 8.2K | 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 91 - Won’t let go till it bleeds
Seven Years Later…
Glancing outside at the setting sun, Kagome sighed peacefully at the beautiful display. Preparing the finishing touches on that night’s supper, her eyes wandered the spacious “kitchen” area of her hut, coming to rest upon a simple, aged set of mixing bowls. They hadn’t always belonged to her.
It was exactly two years ago, also in winter, that her sensei had finally departed from their world. Kaede had known her time was near, and had said her good-byes as pleasantly as she’d been able. Sickness had gotten to her, and Kagome’d once again found herself cursing the century she lived in. Still, they’d tried everything at their disposal, including that gods-awful liver concoction of Inuyasha’s. In the end, nothing had worked, and pneumonia claimed her. Kagome had cried for two days straight, until Inuyasha, in a manner of pure tough love, told her plainly “Knock that off, would you? You think Kaede’s spirit wants to look down on us, only to see you crying your eyes out all the damn time? Shit, she was mortal, Kagome. You’d better get used to this real quick, or you’re in for a world of hurt. You’ve just gotta cherish the times you have with these humans, and then when they’re gone, you look back on the times you had with a smile, not tears.”
The miko was fairly sure a “stupid wench” had been thrown in there somewhere, too, but as harsh as his words may have sounded to an outsider, they had been exactly what she’d needed to hear. He was right, after all. This was what she’d signed up for, agreeing to let him strip her of her own mortality. Kaede was only the beginning. But strangely, she wasn’t depressed by that thought any longer. Instead, Kagome had taken to heart the kindness that had lined her husband’s words of impatience. She knew the only reason he was anxious for her to stop crying was because he couldn’t stand the sight or smell of her tears. She also knew that he had lost his own mortal mother in a manner very similar to how Kaede had passed on, so he was speaking from personal experience when it came to learning to look back on the times spent together with a smile.
Coming out of her revere, Kagome was just placing the lid over the finished cooking pot, when a nasty sensation tingled in the back of her mind.
Youkai
Quickly dousing the fire, she made a grab for her bow and arrows, startling her children in the process.
“Mother, what-”
“Not now ‘Zuki, stay here and watch your sisters.” she interrupted, dashing outside.
“But Mama…!” Minako and Miyako cried after her at the same time, instinctively fearful for their mother’s life.
“Do as I say!” Kagome called over her shoulder, already running towards the feeling of foreign youki, bow in one hand, her other absently protecting her rounded belly.
No way was Kazuki going to let his breeding mother handle anything dangerous on her own, though. He had been specifically placed in charge of her safety for the moment, and he planned on making good on his vow. The teen lingered behind only long enough to ensure his sisters both knew that they were to remain in the hut, no matter the circumstances, and after receiving twin barks of compliance, he too darted outside.
Kagome, meanwhile, was cursing quietly to herself all the way to the forest’s edge. Where the hell was Inuyasha? It shouldn’t have taken him this long to deliver that cart of dried meats to the neighboring village. The only reason he went himself in the first place was because it would have taken an ordinary man over a day to make the journey, and he had insisted that he wouldn’t permit any of his villagers to risk hypothermia in the middle of winter for an overnight trip that’s sole purpose was to free a neighboring village from the grip of starvation.
“I can make it there and back in one day.” he had assured her, “You better have dinner ready.” he had teased.
Of course, it would take him just about as long as any other person to get to the village, Kagome realized, since he couldn’t exactly leap from tree to tree while hauling a giant wooden cart meant for horses. But considering that he’d said he was just going to leave the cart there for the time being, it should truly only take him a matter of minutes to return. Nevertheless, the sun had set over twenty minutes ago, and now, there she was, Junsuishi in hand, facing off against some butt-ugly insect oni who had dared to trespass within Inuyasha’s Forest the first evening in over a year that their hanyou protector was away. What impeccable timing.
Taking a moment to take in the atmosphere around her, Kagome noted that most in the village apparently hadn’t sensed the oni’s approach just yet, as the sounds of evening were still calm and peaceful. She aimed to keep it that way. She would also have to have a word with Kazuki later, though so long as he stayed out of danger, as he appeared to just be guarding her safety from a distance at that point, she would let it slide for the time being.
“Just hold it right there, buddy.” she said to the approaching youkai, in a manner befitting a disgruntled security guard.
“You dare to defy me, human?!” it spat, seemingly surprised by her appearance.
Taking in the sight before her, she grimaced, then sighed. “Great, just great.” she muttered to herself, notching an arrow, “Where’s a girl’s husband when she needs a cockroach stepped on?” she asked aloud to no one, somewhat rhetorically.
In her disdain, she failed to notice the oni weighing her words, before it bellowed
“I am Konton, Leader of the Gokiburi Tribe! You will bow down before my power!”
“Who, me?” she asked with feigned innocence, her weapon not yet raised in the ‘ready’ position. “I’m sorry, have we met?” she asked…what she’ll just assume was a him.
“Insolent wench!”
The large - was it really a cockroach? - oni slashed several of his razor-like appendages in her direction, brightly glowing arcs of demonic energy emerging in their wake.
The blades fizzled harmlessly against her barrier.
“I’m sorry, Konton, I don’t think we have met.” she appeared to sincerely apologize, while keeping her bow lowered. “Allow me to introduce myself as well. I am Lady Kagome of the Western Lands, mate to Lord Inuyasha, second son of the late Inu no Taisho, brother and beta to Lord Sesshoumaru...of the Western Lands.”
She’d added that last “western lands” just for the hell of it, never truly caring much for titles and whatnot, agreeing wholeheartedly with her mate in that regard. But the oni before her appeared unimpressed, either not believing her claim, or simply not caring. But how could you just not care about risking the wrath of someone as powerful as Lord Sesshoumaru? Nearly all of Japan had heard of his alliance with Inuyasha and herself by that point, and nobody was stupid enough to screw with them. Had this guy been living under a rock or something?
Oh, wait. Cockroach…
Sighing once more, Kagome drew back on her bow, raising her arrow into firing position. This would only take a second. Maybe if she charged her arrow enough, there wouldn’t be anything left over to worry about for ‘cleanup’ duty.
Isn’t it the wrong season to be having roach problems? she wondered idly, noticing a few snow clouds drifting in.
His beady eyes widened momentarily at the sight of her preparing her weapon, and then narrowed strategically, the increase of power in her aura not lost on even someone like him.
Concentrating, she sensed the swirling in the atmosphere where her aura collided with the aura of her opponent, the wound in the wind becoming clear in her mind’s eye. Sighting along the arrow, she was just about to release, when…
“You wouldn’t mean that filthy hanyou I happened upon in the forest a while back, would you?”
Caught off guard, her concentration faltered, the glow of her arrow receding.
He’s got to be lying, there’s no trace of Inuyasha’s scent anywhere on him. And besides…she thought, Had he truly encountered Inuyasha, then he would already be dead.
Still, the comment bought the fugly bastard a few more precious moments of life, as Kagome decided to take the bait anyway, and ask, rather disbelievingly…
“You saw Inuyasha?”
The bastard actually appeared to chuckle, and in a manner as though he was attempting to discern whether or not they each knew a mutual friend, he described her mate. “Inu-hanyou, silver/white mane, fire-rat kimono, trick sword…”
Okay…so he’s heard of Inuyasha…that doesn’t prove anything.
“And I am to believe that he left you unscathed?”
Chuckling again, he casually replied “You can believe anything you wish, foolish mortal.”
Kagome decided not to bother correcting him on the “mortal” comment, instead suddenly paying closer attention to the feel of the youki around her. Was it just her, or was his aura suddenly increasing in size? But no, when she concentrated on him, truly focused, she found that his aura was exactly the same size as it’d always been. Then what-
More auras…several more auras…approaching fast.
From somewhere behind her, she heard her son cry out “Mother, be careful!”
She raised her bow once more, but Konton’s laughter chilled her to the bone.
“You’re too late.” he smirked. “Shoot me if you want, miko, they’ve got a fix on my location now.”
The bastard was just buying time!
It was then that she realized, with abrupt horror, one of the many fundamental truths of cockroaches.
There was never only one…
“Eeep!”
Kazuki was instantly by her side.
Trees crashed down on either side of the leader, his minions coming up to stand beside him. What they lacked in stature compared to his height, they readily made up for in sheer numbers. It looked as though there were dozens, if not hundreds of them.
“This will be easy boys.” he addressed his followers, “The mutt isn’t here, and your numbers are too great for the miko alone.”
“She isn’t alone!” Kazuki declared, adopting a battle stance while his mother let her arrow fly.
Any plans of attack the larger oni had been prepared to deliver were stilled the moment his presence was replaced by the sparkly aftereffects of purification, the backdraft of Kagome’s wind-scar arrow annihilating several dozen of the smaller youkai in its wake...but not all of them. The remaining roach-youkai, who stood on all six legs, and reached around the height of a large dog, all glared at her menacingly, and gulping, Kagome suddenly realized two more things. One, she didn’t have nearly enough arrows, and two, Inuyasha really needed to hurry his ass up.
Crap, what I wouldn’t give for a Holy Hand Grenade right about now.
Because of the scattering nature of their separate auras, giving her several weaker opponents as opposed to one tremendously strong one, she couldn’t utilize her bow’s full potential in the form of additional wind-scar arrows. Not against the little ones. They possessed virtually no aura, individually, and the miko seriously doubted that she could get them all to stand still long enough for her to focus on their combined energies. Regrettably, that meant she had to stick to standard issue purification arrows.
Glancing in Kazuki’s direction, Kagome smiled, noting how well her boy was holding his own, taking down as many of the beasts as she was. Inuyasha had started to teach him how to fight five years ago, and it was a good thing he had, even if she’d secretly thought, at the time, that ten years old was too young to learn the Iron Reaver Soul Stealer.
Doing the best she could to make every arrow count, Kagome took out at least a dozen of the bastards with each shot, but soon enough, she found herself flinging out balls of purifying energy with her bare hands. That would get much too exhausting much too quickly, and her son’s worried glances in her direction did not gone unnoticed.
Kazuki had his own hands full, as he slashed at the beasts that were trying to overpower him by attacking all at once. He could only afford to offer his mother frequent glances, unable to actually approach her side at the moment, when his eyes widened and he cried out “Behind you!” One of the youkai was trying to sneak up on his mother from behind while she remained focused on purified the ones in front of her.
Whirling around at her son’s cry, Kagome’s eyes focused just in time to see the ugly thing leap towards her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she noted that she hadn’t thought roaches could leap.
“Batter up!” she yelled, as she swung her bow, easily deflected the low-grade youkai as it was painfully flung back several yards.
“You all right?” Kazuki asked loudly over the ruckus.
“Yeah…” his mother answered, spiritually charging and throwing a few nearby stones, “We could sure use some help though!” she called to her son, charging a very powerful barrier around herself, and then running directly into a large mix of the beasts that all sizzled and popped into dust on contact.
“Hiraikotsu!”
Several more of the pests were suddenly chopped in half, and taking a moment to catch her breath, Kagome raised her eyes skyward with a smile.
“It’s about time you got here!” she called to her friend, who currently rode atop a battle-ready Kirara, already preparing her weapon for another go-round.
“I’m getting too old for this!” Sango yelled good-naturedly instead of her standard battle-cry, as she swung her giant boomerang once more, expertly taking out several more of the hissing, scattering vermin, as the powerful weapon ducked to a mere two feet above the ground for several yards before climbing higher on its return.
Kagome looked on with never-failing amazement at Sango’s abilities to control the flight path of that thing, while at the same time, laughing softly at her friend’s words. She sympathized with her almost-sister, whom she could tell truly was starting to become effected by the passage of time.
She’s a mother of three… she reminded herself, smiling at her thoughts of cute little Aiko. She’d just turned six not long ago, the sweetheart.
Of course, she was a mother of three herself.
A well-timed kick from within her swollen belly prompted her to glance downward, and she amended…three and a half.
Shaking her head, knowing she needed to keep her mind focused for the time being, Kagome darted around to where several of the cretins were quickly encroaching upon the housing of the village. They appeared to produce some sort of acid, as any and all vegetation shriveled and died in their wake. Somebody’s unfortunate dog was caught off guard as the animal attempted to flee, and one of the roaches took it upon itself to snatch the yelping pup by his hindquarters, quickly devouring the flesh from his bones. Poor dog.
Shit, this is bad.
Several people had rushed outside by the time Kagome got there, weapons drawn, many of the men determined to defend their families, though some seemingly more prepared than others. Amongst the many torches, pitch forks, hoes, axes, and occasional sword, Kagome smiled momentarily at the sight of a chained scythe soaring through the air, ripping apart several more of the beasts, before returning to its master’s hand. Perhaps their oni leader had been right, their numbers were too great for her to face alone, but her son had also been right…she wasn’t alone. Nodding at the determined look across the male Taijiya’s face, the miko knew that Kohaku wouldn’t let any of the creatures come anywhere near their houses. He wasn’t only looking out for his own wife and son, but for everyone in the village.
Though…even with being as skilled a slayer as he was, there were far too many of them for him to face alone, too. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Kagome prepared herself for what she was about to do.
Noting that their resident butterfly youkai was also among those fighting, along side her husband, she quickly yelled “Etsuko look out!” before tossing out a steady stream of purifying energy, not unlike what she’d used against Naraku all those years back. With Etsuko safely flying overhead, Kagome swept the glowing beam across the youkai before her like an elongated light saber, every nasty-crawly she touched going up in smoke at the contact just like in a Raid commercial.
Sango came up behind her, then, having dismounted Kirara, and instantly noted the way her friend was hunched over, gasping for breath. It was hard on her, to exert so much power, so quickly. She couldn’t utilize as much of her raw strength while she was pregnant, her body naturally creating a barrier of protection around the demonic child within her womb, the safety of her unborn infant taking precedence against all else. That limited her strength a great deal, as the longer she continued to project an aura of purification, the longer her own body would continue to shield her unborn pup against it.
Kazuki came up on her other side, then, offering the silent placement of a clawed hand upon his mother’s shoulder, and Kagome understood the gesture for the question that it was.
“I’m fine, ‘Zuki.” she assured her son, having managed to regain her breath for the time being, as she straightened her back and assessed just how many roach-youkai were still running rampant. Not too many were left in their immediate vicinity, however she could feel the approach of several more from within the nearby forest.
In her appraisal of their surroundings, Kagome quickly noted that Miroku had taken it upon himself to create and hold a protective barrier for the villagers. That certainly explained why he hadn’t joined his wife’s side in battle. The glow from his staff was like a beacon in the rapidly encroaching darkness. Within the barrier huddled the village’s elderly, women, and children, as well as several of the men. Only a few of the strongest and bravest had declined the offer of spiritual protection in favor of continuing to offer their own services in battle. That was fine though, Kagome relented, not about to force anyone who didn’t feel capable to join in the battle. She would only end up having to rush to their aid. She was grateful enough for any assistance offered by those few who were able.
“Kohaku!” she called, “You’ve got village duty! Take care of any stragglers while I see if we can cut off the lot of them in the forest! Sango, Kazuki, you’re with me.”
“You got it!” Kohaku called back in acknowledgment, as he continued to slay any of the youkai who got too close for comfort.
Sango didn’t comment, as she was already atop Kirara, and quickly soaring towards the trees. The call of Hiraikotsu could be heard a few moments later.
Kazuki, however, stayed by his mother’s side, and the two of them were just getting ready to run off into the woods together, when the sudden call of “Aunt Kagome!” drew their attention back towards the village.
“Emi!” they both shouted in surprise, though Kazuki elaborated by adding “What the hell are you doing out of the barrier?!”
Ignoring her life-long friend’s ranting, she panted as she closed the distance between herself and her “aunt”, holding out a large bundle of several new arrows.
“I thought…you could use these…” the miko-in-training explained, out of breath from her run.
Kagome took a moment to clasp the girl’s shoulder affectionately, as she gratefully accepted the arrows. “Get yourself back in your father’s barrier.” she said softly.
“I can help!” Emi protested.
It was Kazuki who detected the approaching youkai first.
“Look out!” he cried, preparing to leap onto his enemy’s back, only to suddenly have to shift and maneuver himself midair to avoid landing upon the youkai, that was currently sizzling from the powers of the sutra Emi had just thrown upon its head.
A noise from somewhere behind her drew Kagome’s attention then, as she noted with surprise the figure of a thirteen year old boy also engaged in battle, Kichiro appearing very much like how Kagome remembered a younger Kohaku. Praying for his safety, she at least acknowledged that their parents had done well with their training. Glancing back at the girl before her, Kagome quickly realized that she was hardly in a position to tell Emi what to do. By that time’s standards, the young teen was a full-fledged adult. Besides, she had been fifteen when her adventure had first started. Looking at Emi now was like looking at an echo of herself. It didn’t help her déjà vu any that Kazuki was the spitting image of his father. Aside from very subtle differences in facial structure, and the darker coloring of his eyes, he looked exactly like Inuyasha. Especially in those fire-rat robes.
Speaking of which, it took Kagome a moment to realize she was suddenly seeing her son dressed in only his fire-rat hakama, and plain white kosode.
“Be careful…” he whispered worriedly to Emi, as he draped his suikan across her shoulders.
Okay…that’s a little too familiar. And where the hell is Inuyasha?!
Quickly darting off after her almost-sister, she knew Kazuki would follower her as soon as he assured himself that Emi was well protected. Scratching violently at her bonding mark, Kagome hoped her mate would catch a clue and get his butt in gear. This had gone on long enough. Entering the woods, she presented herself before the hordes of crawling youkai, standing still in a very ‘here I am, come and get me’ pose. Yelling to Sango to get Kirara a safe distance away, she charged an arrow…
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Several miles away, Inuyasha was actually already offering his assistance to the battle at home, even though nobody knew it. A “second line” if you will, had been under route, but he intercepted them, hordes upon hordes of nasty roach youkai, heading in the direction of his home village. He had obviously not needed to give the matter a second thought (or even a first) before he started slaughtering them left and right.
It wasn’t until the last youkai fell that he realized with foreboding that their stench still continued in the direction of his village. Cursing under his breath, he was already leaping through the trees when his bonding mark suddenly started to burn, and he literally turned white as the blood drained from his face at the realization of what it must mean.
Shit, hang in there Kagome!
Kicking it up a notch, Inuyasha triggered his youkai transformation, running as fast as conceivably possible. His feet barely touched the trees as he raced through the air, a flying blur of red and white.
What he saw when he arrived was not what he’d been expecting.
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Concentrating on the many demonic auras before her, she fired of arrow after arrow, taking a moment to also fling the occasional ball of purifying light directly at any youkai who managed to escape the blast of her arrow and crawl passed her. She was quite a force to be reckoned with, Kagome the Youkai Slayer. Kaede’s words of wisdom echoed in her ear from training sessions long ago, “One youkai is a lot easier to kill than ten.” Snorting aloud, Kagome found her memory of that warning almost humorous. Does the word ‘duh’ mean anything to you?
Kazuki finally joining her side, he teamed up with his mother and Sango, the three of them almost giving off the appearance of having everything under control. Almost
A few of the larger youkai, most likely the older ones, appeared to also be able to fling out their own energy attacks, just like Konton had done. That certainly caught them off guard, at first, when the monsters had everyone ducking for cover, Kagome throwing up a barrier just in time while Sango blocked the blades of youki with Hiraikotsu.
A horrid scream from somewhere back within the village drew Kagome’s attention then, the cry apparently being too low for Sango’s hearing with all the ruckus of battle so near. Turning, she concentrated on the breeze, relieved to discover there was no stench of human blood on the wind. It must have been a close call, but whatever had happened, somebody had come to the rescue in time.
Her brief pause in activity caused Kagome to unconsciously slump some in culminating exhaustion, and she was unaware of her barrier flickering in and out of existence until she heard Kazuki cry “Mother look out!” The next thing she knew, she was on her stomach, a rather uncomfortable place to be, considering the size of it. Hopefully her inner barrier had protected her baby from the fall. But she didn’t fall, she realized then; she had been pushed. She also quickly realized that her back kind of hurt, and that suddenly, she could smell blood, lots of it, and most of it not her own.
From Sango’s vantage point, the slayer had seen what had happened, everything occurring much too quickly for her to have hoped to do something about it from her place high above on Kirara. Several blades of youki energy had been in direct route to Kagome’s exposed back, Kazuki noticing and leaping to his mother’s rescue, shoving her out of the way at the same moment the blades struck. A couple of the blades still managed to strike Kagome’s person, though fortunately, it appeared as though the spider-silk of her demonic chihaya protected her flesh from most of the force. They did manage to cut through the fabric, and into her skin, and she had two long, though rather shallow, slashes running along her backside, but had it not been for the protective spider-silk material, she could have been cut in half.
Speaking of which, Kagome suddenly recalled with dread, Kazuki was not wearing his fire-rat suikan.
Leaping to her feet with more energy than she should have possessed by that point, Kagome quickly found what had become of her son, his blood soaking the ground through the many horrid gashes in his flesh, the remains of his kosode stained as red as his hakama. For one, brief moment, time seemed to stand still, as no youkai attacked during her investigation of her son. Or maybe it was that she’d thrown up a new barrier around both Kazuki and herself, unaware of its existence as it was done on a subconscious level. She could hear no outside noise. No crawling of destructive youkai pests. No roars in the wind from a flying boomerang. No screams from the frightened villagers. She could only hear the pounding of her own heart, accompanied by the weakening rhythm of her son’s.
Then it happened.
A pulse ripped through her, through her mind, vibrating against her very soul. Before she even had time to identify what she was feeling, it happened again, then again, as she suddenly realized her son’s aura was flaring brightly before her eyes. His hair, stained dark crimson in places, whipped around him in a breeze only he could feel, as his mother stared on in both relief and horror.
Coming to her senses, the world around her regained momentum, as Kagome was suddenly aware of Sango’s continued presence in battle, as more and more youkai fell by her hand. She and Kirara were both upon the ground now, most likely to offer Kagome the greatest protection possible while she’d been in her daze. Kirara took on many of the youkai herself, while Sango fell several with her katana, Hiraikotsu being of no use in combat that close. The slayer barely registered the sudden prickling in the back of her mind that screamed strong youkai before it was her turn to be flung out of the way, that time by a frantic Kagome.
Kazuki zipped passed them, seemingly ignoring the presence of the humans and fire-cat, as he lunged towards the lowly youkai who were responsible for injuring him. Ripping, slashing, tearing, the world was nothing but streaks of red, and cries of pain. The horrid youkai all fell one by one, but it wasn’t enough. More. He wanted more blood. Running off into the surrounding forest, he found each and every remaining youkai as they approached, until none of them remained among the living. More, there were still more of them around. He could smell them. Following their scent, he soon found himself outside the forest, standing instead in what appeared to be the edge of a human village, a few modest houses erected near by. There were a more youkai here, which the humans were fighting. He didn’t want those weak mortals to interfere in his battle. Those youkai were his. Taking care of the remaining youkai quickly enough, many screams filled the air as he passed, both from the youkai he slaughtered, as well as the humans who witnessed his actions. Stupid humans… He was just about to approach the cowering bunch, when something caught his attention.
“Kazuki…?” Kagome whispered cautiously, unaware if her son would recognize her voice in his current state.
This was bad. This was really bad. Kazuki had never transformed before. She had no idea how to get his youkai blood back under control, because, she realized with foreboding, he didn’t have a seal for his blood like his father’d had in Tetsusaiga, nor did he even possess a subduing spell.
But nevertheless, Kagome refused to fear her own son, as she continued to approach, despite Sango’s cries that she stay back.
I smell like him, I smell inu, surely he will at least recognize that we are pack.
“Kazuki…” she tried again, “The danger is over now, you can change back.”
He just glared at her, and she didn’t know if he even understood her words. Then she saw him take a long sniff in her direction, and she stiffened at the look in his eyes. He must have caught the scent of her blood. She was understandably nervous when she suddenly found herself face to face with her transformed son, as Kazuki had instantly closed the distance between them.
Then he woofed out something that was the inu equivalent for “mother hurt” and Kagome started to relax, until she realized that he had taken it upon himself to stand between her and the villagers, as though he were protecting her from a threat. That was also bad. If he perceived the other villagers as a danger to his mother, he could very well start attacking everyone in an attempt to ‘protect’ her. The fact that she was already injured put him on even higher alert.
That was the scene that Inuyasha crashed in on, as he finally made it the remaining fifteen miles home. It only took him a matter of seconds to realize what was going on, and he cursed under his breath. It wouldn’t matter that he and Kazuki looked so much alike. He knew from personal experience, that especially when in that form, all that truly mattered to the senses was smell. Right now, he stank like the innards of hundreds of roach youkai, and lying underneath that, was undoubtedly the lingering scents of several humans, from the many hugs he had received from the village children in thanks for bringing them food. His natural scent was so heavily buried at the moment, Kazuki would have to go out of his way to look for it, but…would he even bother to do so? Would it even occur to him that he might know this fellow youkai, and take the time to confirm his assumption?
The growl Inuyasha received in warning to stay away from Kagome implied that the answer was no.
Growling back, Inuyasha barked the command “submit to alpha” to see if that would get him anywhere. Unless Kazuki denied his claim outright, his instincts would force him to seek confirmation.
He watched with bated breath as Kazuki cautiously sniffed in his direction once more, but the crinkling of his nose told Inuyasha that he’d still failed to pick up his natural scent under all the junk. Sniffing himself, his own nose wrinkled. He really did stink of youkai guts right now. Even the humans could probably smell it.
“Inuyasha…” Kagome addressed, keeping her voice low as she knew her mate could hear her just fine, “Do you think Tetsusaiga would seal his blood?” she asked.
Glancing down at the sword on his hip, he replied just as quietly, “It’d be worth a try.”
Nodding her understanding, she attempted to turn Kazuki’s attention back to herself, so that Inuyasha could hope to close the distance between them unnoticed. Of course, when she stepped around her son to place herself in his line of vision, she was also placing her back to her mate, having forgotten about her injuries for the moment.
Inuyasha, who was also still transformed, was ruled more powerfully by his own instincts at the moment, despite his higher self-control. Quickly, he’d started to approach, thinking only of his mate as he screamed out “You’re hurt!” and it wasn’t until Kazuki whirled himself forward again, forcing Kagome behind his back, that Inuyasha realized the err of his ways.
That didn’t mean he was about to submit to his own son, though.
Instead, he did take a moment to calm himself, letting the red drain from his eyes, as his youki receded enough so that at least his aura wouldn’t appear quite so threatening. Unsurprisingly, he quickly reacted to the increase of his human emotions.
“Damn it pup!” he shouted in the human speech, “I ain’t gonna hurt your mother you idiot! I’m your sire, for fuck’s sake. Your mother is my mate!”
Kazuki paused, as if he were giving Inuyasha’s words some thought, but another sniff in the elder hanyou’s direction proved that he still wasn’t picking up his inu scent.
I don’t fucking believe this… Inuyasha cursed, as he quickly took his own claws and slashed at his opposite forearm.
“What the hell are you doing!?” Kagome shrieked, shocked to see her husband mutilate himself.
Kazuki sniffed again, that time easily detecting his father’s scent through his blood. But even though the pup seemed to alter his stance to indicate he no longer felt threatened by Inuyasha’s presence, he still didn’t appear to be losing his transformation. Several of the villagers had started to crowd in around them, too close for comfort as far as all three of them were concerned, though they were only curious, and worried, regarding what was happening to their leader’s first-born son. The surrounding torch light was enough for them to notice that the teen was currently sporting youkai markings identical to his father’s facial stripes, while his crimson gaze cut through the blackness as easily as his claws had cut through the remaining roaches. Quickly noticing how only the mildest hint of fear remained in the air, the more powerful emotions currently being closer to confusion and uncertainty, Inuyasha realized with dread that none of the villagers had ever had the privilege of witnessing his transformations of the past, so they really had no basis for comparison with regard to how much of a monster Kazuki truly was at the moment.
“Kagome…prepare a barrier.” he whispered, finally coming to the conclusion, as much as it pained him to admit it, that purification was likely the only way. He simply could not risk any of the villagers’ lives.
Nodding grimly, she too had started to fear that such a course of action was going to be the only option. Though it was something that she and Inuyasha had discussed several years back, when he had first started transforming during their love making and was concerned that he might accidentally hurt her, Kagome had never actually found herself having to purify him out of his transformed state. She knew she could offer a mild enough of a jolt to merely revert her son back to his hanyou form, but he’d be out of it for a while, and it would be painful. Neither parent wanted to hurt their baby, but it couldn’t be helped.
She was just getting ready to do it, when
“Kazuki…?”
Three heads quickly snapped in the direction of the soft voice, Kagome and Inuyasha both ordering Emi to get the hell back, while Kazuki’s eyes remained fixed on hers somewhat uncertainly.
Snarling at the human bitch to keep back, Emi ignored his growls, even though she knew very well what they meant. He had taught her as much remedial inu that a mortal could comprehend long ago. Yipping back in a non-threatening manner, Emi’s statement was somewhere along the lines of acknowledging his dominance, even though she defied him by continuing to approach against his wishes. Her yips were enough to keep him in place, though, as she at least made it clear enough that she had no intention of challenging him. Under the circumstances, Kazuki wasn’t about to leave his mother’s side, with so many other humans around, whom he was fairly certain were threats, so he quickly decided that he could deal with just this one bitch, so long as she knew her place.
Then, before anyone could blink, Emi suddenly closed the distance between them, virtually flinging herself into Kazuki’s arms, her own quickly wrapping around his wounded body, heedless of the blood that quickly soaked through her pale yukata.
Frozen in terror, neither Kagome nor Inuyasha could move from their spots, as they each held their breath, fearing their son’s immanent retaliation. The surrounding villagers were slowly catching on, as well, as they bore witness to Kazuki’s snarling visage, as he viciously clamped his clawed hands onto Emi’s upper arms, drawing ten thin trails of blood. He appeared to be trying to shove her away, but she held steadfast.
“Get away from him!” somebody suddenly shouted, Emi’s response a flat “I won’t leave him!”
Déjà vu all over again… Kagome thought, looking on with morbid fascination.
Sango and Miroku were instantly on the scene, each remembering the same event as their miko companion, each only mildly fearful for their daughter’s life, knowing that no matter what, Kagome would never let anything happen to her.
Kazuki would never let anything happen to her.
Still, what kind of father would he be if Miroku didn’t at least say something?
“Keep your mind about you.” he instructed. “Do not show your fear.”
I have no fear, father. she replied in her mind.
From across the way, Kohaku and Kichiro both came running, Kaori currently watching her husband’s youngest niece, while Kichiro tried to run to his big sister’s aid. He was quickly stilled by Inuyasha, who didn’t so much as offer the boy a side glance as he raised his hand against the teen’s chest when he tried to pass, eyes remaining fixed on the pair before him as he uttered “She’ll be fine.”
“Kazuki…” Emi whispered, confused. She was beginning to feel frightened for her friend, but not of him.
I won’t let you go…she thought, even as he continued to struggle against her hold, snarling in ways she was sure were meant to frighten her. Still, she knew that nothing was stopping him from merely attacking her outright, and so far, he had yet to do so. In desperation, she did the only thing she could think of to reach the real Kazuki, whom she knew was still in there, somewhere.
She didn’t need to stretch herself quite as high on her toes, as she stood a little taller than Kagome had at that age, but everyone knew what was coming as they saw her lean herself forward, closing the tiny gap between herself and the youkai who currently held her captive.
As Kagome watched their children’s lips meet, her miko aura detected the increase in Emi’s own powers, as the teen girl’s aura brushed against that of Kazuki’s raging youki. Instantly, both Kagome and her mate could feel their son’s demonic aura receding…apparently without any pain.
Instinctively, Kazuki returned the kiss. Then, as the crimson fully bled from his dark honey orbs, he stared at the girl before him in utter shock. “Emi…?” he managed to rasp in question, his mind racing.
He stared for a moment, unblinking, as he desperately attempted to gather his frantic thoughts. What on Earth just happened? Realizing he still held her much too tightly, he instantly released his grip, grimacing as he felt his claws recede from her flesh. No… Did he just…? Myouga had warned him once, but… Oh gods…
“I…transformed…?” he asked, his voice weak and shaky.
Nodding, Emi ignored the pain in her arms, as she wrapped them more tightly around her friend, whom she truly cared for as more than merely a friend.
Confused, frightened, and guilty, Kazuki tried to gently pry the girl off of him, but she only tightened her grip.
“Why aren’t you scared of me?” he asked in a whisper so low, it was heard by only Emi’s mortal ears, as well as the three people present who possessed demonic hearing.
Her response, however, was heard by everyone.
“Because I love you.”
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Later that night, it was the eldest of the two male hanyou who had difficulty falling asleep.
“It was all my fault.” Inuyasha berated himself.
“No it wasn’t.” Kagome assured him, adding “How were you to know that more youkai had already reached the village? You were doing your duty as our protector by stopping the ones you’d found when-”
His shaking head stilled her rambling.
“That’s not what I meant.” he confessed quietly, wishing to keep his voice low enough so as not to wake the object of his thoughts, Kazuki’s snoring easily reaching his ears. The pup was so exhausted, both mentally and physically, that he’d more passed out than fallen asleep.
“He didn’t hurt anyone.” Kagome assured her mate and husband, instantly realizing he had been referring to their son’s transformation. “All he did was take care of the rest of the youkai. Truly, he was coming to our rescue, even if he didn’t know it.”
“He hurt Emi.” Inuyasha whispered low, raising a shaking hand to rub his mate’s own upper arm where the faintest of scars still remained, her youkai healing unable to remove blemishes that had occurred prior to their bonding.
“Nobody holds that against him…or you.” she answered softly.
“I should have made him a seal for his blood.” he confessed, his self-loathing tangible. “I didn’t know…I didn’t think…”
“How could you know?” Kagome asked gently, desperately attempting to rescue her husband from his bout of depression. He had been a damn good father so far. Everyone made mistakes.
“You survived on your own for what, a hundred and fifty years or so, before Kikyou sealed you?” He nodded. “And in all that time, I’m sure you came close to death from one cause or another.”
“More than you know.” he answered, both of them aware that he’d never fully indulged in sharing with her the most painful moments of his past. She didn’t need to know, and he didn’t need to relive them.
“Yet…” she continued after nodding her deeper understanding, “You never transformed, not once. You never transformed until after Goshinki broke the Tetsusaiga. So how could you have known that Kazuki would need a seal, especially so early in life, after you’d spent so much of your own life without one, your first transformation only being triggered by your newly acquired seal then suddenly breaking?”
He offered her a small smile, appreciative of her attempts at logic, but then pointed out “You’re forgetting that I’d in truth held the Tetsusaiga with me all along, concealed away in the black pearl.”
Her expression shifted, meaning to say “Oh, yeah…” but she remained silent, her eyes still pleading with her mate to stop blaming himself for what could have been a disaster, but had not been.
“Well…” she finally started after a moment, “Looks like it’s time to visit old Totosai again.”
The miko smiled at the way her husband’s eyes lit up at that statement, instantly revealing that his depression had passed, as he smiled at her appreciatively. Chuckling softly, he mockingly rubbed his jaw, already envisioning the pain he was about to endure. “Gonna suck to have three fangs yanked out.” he muttered jokingly.
“Three?”
“No way in hell am I gonna make the same mistake with the girls.”
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Trans lations:
Aiko means Love-Child, and I felt it the most appropriate name for Miroku’s new daughter, after finally realizing that children between himself and Sango were symbols of their love.
As for Konton, Leader of the Gokiburi tribe…I trust those of you already more proficient with Japanese got a kick out of that one. Konton isn’t really a name, or at least not one that I would imagine anyone normal would give to their child. It literally means “chaos.” Gokiburi is simply the Japanese word for “cockroach.”
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 91 - Won’t let go till it bleeds
Seven Years Later…
Glancing outside at the setting sun, Kagome sighed peacefully at the beautiful display. Preparing the finishing touches on that night’s supper, her eyes wandered the spacious “kitchen” area of her hut, coming to rest upon a simple, aged set of mixing bowls. They hadn’t always belonged to her.
It was exactly two years ago, also in winter, that her sensei had finally departed from their world. Kaede had known her time was near, and had said her good-byes as pleasantly as she’d been able. Sickness had gotten to her, and Kagome’d once again found herself cursing the century she lived in. Still, they’d tried everything at their disposal, including that gods-awful liver concoction of Inuyasha’s. In the end, nothing had worked, and pneumonia claimed her. Kagome had cried for two days straight, until Inuyasha, in a manner of pure tough love, told her plainly “Knock that off, would you? You think Kaede’s spirit wants to look down on us, only to see you crying your eyes out all the damn time? Shit, she was mortal, Kagome. You’d better get used to this real quick, or you’re in for a world of hurt. You’ve just gotta cherish the times you have with these humans, and then when they’re gone, you look back on the times you had with a smile, not tears.”
The miko was fairly sure a “stupid wench” had been thrown in there somewhere, too, but as harsh as his words may have sounded to an outsider, they had been exactly what she’d needed to hear. He was right, after all. This was what she’d signed up for, agreeing to let him strip her of her own mortality. Kaede was only the beginning. But strangely, she wasn’t depressed by that thought any longer. Instead, Kagome had taken to heart the kindness that had lined her husband’s words of impatience. She knew the only reason he was anxious for her to stop crying was because he couldn’t stand the sight or smell of her tears. She also knew that he had lost his own mortal mother in a manner very similar to how Kaede had passed on, so he was speaking from personal experience when it came to learning to look back on the times spent together with a smile.
Coming out of her revere, Kagome was just placing the lid over the finished cooking pot, when a nasty sensation tingled in the back of her mind.
Youkai
Quickly dousing the fire, she made a grab for her bow and arrows, startling her children in the process.
“Mother, what-”
“Not now ‘Zuki, stay here and watch your sisters.” she interrupted, dashing outside.
“But Mama…!” Minako and Miyako cried after her at the same time, instinctively fearful for their mother’s life.
“Do as I say!” Kagome called over her shoulder, already running towards the feeling of foreign youki, bow in one hand, her other absently protecting her rounded belly.
No way was Kazuki going to let his breeding mother handle anything dangerous on her own, though. He had been specifically placed in charge of her safety for the moment, and he planned on making good on his vow. The teen lingered behind only long enough to ensure his sisters both knew that they were to remain in the hut, no matter the circumstances, and after receiving twin barks of compliance, he too darted outside.
Kagome, meanwhile, was cursing quietly to herself all the way to the forest’s edge. Where the hell was Inuyasha? It shouldn’t have taken him this long to deliver that cart of dried meats to the neighboring village. The only reason he went himself in the first place was because it would have taken an ordinary man over a day to make the journey, and he had insisted that he wouldn’t permit any of his villagers to risk hypothermia in the middle of winter for an overnight trip that’s sole purpose was to free a neighboring village from the grip of starvation.
“I can make it there and back in one day.” he had assured her, “You better have dinner ready.” he had teased.
Of course, it would take him just about as long as any other person to get to the village, Kagome realized, since he couldn’t exactly leap from tree to tree while hauling a giant wooden cart meant for horses. But considering that he’d said he was just going to leave the cart there for the time being, it should truly only take him a matter of minutes to return. Nevertheless, the sun had set over twenty minutes ago, and now, there she was, Junsuishi in hand, facing off against some butt-ugly insect oni who had dared to trespass within Inuyasha’s Forest the first evening in over a year that their hanyou protector was away. What impeccable timing.
Taking a moment to take in the atmosphere around her, Kagome noted that most in the village apparently hadn’t sensed the oni’s approach just yet, as the sounds of evening were still calm and peaceful. She aimed to keep it that way. She would also have to have a word with Kazuki later, though so long as he stayed out of danger, as he appeared to just be guarding her safety from a distance at that point, she would let it slide for the time being.
“Just hold it right there, buddy.” she said to the approaching youkai, in a manner befitting a disgruntled security guard.
“You dare to defy me, human?!” it spat, seemingly surprised by her appearance.
Taking in the sight before her, she grimaced, then sighed. “Great, just great.” she muttered to herself, notching an arrow, “Where’s a girl’s husband when she needs a cockroach stepped on?” she asked aloud to no one, somewhat rhetorically.
In her disdain, she failed to notice the oni weighing her words, before it bellowed
“I am Konton, Leader of the Gokiburi Tribe! You will bow down before my power!”
“Who, me?” she asked with feigned innocence, her weapon not yet raised in the ‘ready’ position. “I’m sorry, have we met?” she asked…what she’ll just assume was a him.
“Insolent wench!”
The large - was it really a cockroach? - oni slashed several of his razor-like appendages in her direction, brightly glowing arcs of demonic energy emerging in their wake.
The blades fizzled harmlessly against her barrier.
“I’m sorry, Konton, I don’t think we have met.” she appeared to sincerely apologize, while keeping her bow lowered. “Allow me to introduce myself as well. I am Lady Kagome of the Western Lands, mate to Lord Inuyasha, second son of the late Inu no Taisho, brother and beta to Lord Sesshoumaru...of the Western Lands.”
She’d added that last “western lands” just for the hell of it, never truly caring much for titles and whatnot, agreeing wholeheartedly with her mate in that regard. But the oni before her appeared unimpressed, either not believing her claim, or simply not caring. But how could you just not care about risking the wrath of someone as powerful as Lord Sesshoumaru? Nearly all of Japan had heard of his alliance with Inuyasha and herself by that point, and nobody was stupid enough to screw with them. Had this guy been living under a rock or something?
Oh, wait. Cockroach…
Sighing once more, Kagome drew back on her bow, raising her arrow into firing position. This would only take a second. Maybe if she charged her arrow enough, there wouldn’t be anything left over to worry about for ‘cleanup’ duty.
Isn’t it the wrong season to be having roach problems? she wondered idly, noticing a few snow clouds drifting in.
His beady eyes widened momentarily at the sight of her preparing her weapon, and then narrowed strategically, the increase of power in her aura not lost on even someone like him.
Concentrating, she sensed the swirling in the atmosphere where her aura collided with the aura of her opponent, the wound in the wind becoming clear in her mind’s eye. Sighting along the arrow, she was just about to release, when…
“You wouldn’t mean that filthy hanyou I happened upon in the forest a while back, would you?”
Caught off guard, her concentration faltered, the glow of her arrow receding.
He’s got to be lying, there’s no trace of Inuyasha’s scent anywhere on him. And besides…she thought, Had he truly encountered Inuyasha, then he would already be dead.
Still, the comment bought the fugly bastard a few more precious moments of life, as Kagome decided to take the bait anyway, and ask, rather disbelievingly…
“You saw Inuyasha?”
The bastard actually appeared to chuckle, and in a manner as though he was attempting to discern whether or not they each knew a mutual friend, he described her mate. “Inu-hanyou, silver/white mane, fire-rat kimono, trick sword…”
Okay…so he’s heard of Inuyasha…that doesn’t prove anything.
“And I am to believe that he left you unscathed?”
Chuckling again, he casually replied “You can believe anything you wish, foolish mortal.”
Kagome decided not to bother correcting him on the “mortal” comment, instead suddenly paying closer attention to the feel of the youki around her. Was it just her, or was his aura suddenly increasing in size? But no, when she concentrated on him, truly focused, she found that his aura was exactly the same size as it’d always been. Then what-
More auras…several more auras…approaching fast.
From somewhere behind her, she heard her son cry out “Mother, be careful!”
She raised her bow once more, but Konton’s laughter chilled her to the bone.
“You’re too late.” he smirked. “Shoot me if you want, miko, they’ve got a fix on my location now.”
The bastard was just buying time!
It was then that she realized, with abrupt horror, one of the many fundamental truths of cockroaches.
There was never only one…
“Eeep!”
Kazuki was instantly by her side.
Trees crashed down on either side of the leader, his minions coming up to stand beside him. What they lacked in stature compared to his height, they readily made up for in sheer numbers. It looked as though there were dozens, if not hundreds of them.
“This will be easy boys.” he addressed his followers, “The mutt isn’t here, and your numbers are too great for the miko alone.”
“She isn’t alone!” Kazuki declared, adopting a battle stance while his mother let her arrow fly.
Any plans of attack the larger oni had been prepared to deliver were stilled the moment his presence was replaced by the sparkly aftereffects of purification, the backdraft of Kagome’s wind-scar arrow annihilating several dozen of the smaller youkai in its wake...but not all of them. The remaining roach-youkai, who stood on all six legs, and reached around the height of a large dog, all glared at her menacingly, and gulping, Kagome suddenly realized two more things. One, she didn’t have nearly enough arrows, and two, Inuyasha really needed to hurry his ass up.
Crap, what I wouldn’t give for a Holy Hand Grenade right about now.
Because of the scattering nature of their separate auras, giving her several weaker opponents as opposed to one tremendously strong one, she couldn’t utilize her bow’s full potential in the form of additional wind-scar arrows. Not against the little ones. They possessed virtually no aura, individually, and the miko seriously doubted that she could get them all to stand still long enough for her to focus on their combined energies. Regrettably, that meant she had to stick to standard issue purification arrows.
Glancing in Kazuki’s direction, Kagome smiled, noting how well her boy was holding his own, taking down as many of the beasts as she was. Inuyasha had started to teach him how to fight five years ago, and it was a good thing he had, even if she’d secretly thought, at the time, that ten years old was too young to learn the Iron Reaver Soul Stealer.
Doing the best she could to make every arrow count, Kagome took out at least a dozen of the bastards with each shot, but soon enough, she found herself flinging out balls of purifying energy with her bare hands. That would get much too exhausting much too quickly, and her son’s worried glances in her direction did not gone unnoticed.
Kazuki had his own hands full, as he slashed at the beasts that were trying to overpower him by attacking all at once. He could only afford to offer his mother frequent glances, unable to actually approach her side at the moment, when his eyes widened and he cried out “Behind you!” One of the youkai was trying to sneak up on his mother from behind while she remained focused on purified the ones in front of her.
Whirling around at her son’s cry, Kagome’s eyes focused just in time to see the ugly thing leap towards her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she noted that she hadn’t thought roaches could leap.
“Batter up!” she yelled, as she swung her bow, easily deflected the low-grade youkai as it was painfully flung back several yards.
“You all right?” Kazuki asked loudly over the ruckus.
“Yeah…” his mother answered, spiritually charging and throwing a few nearby stones, “We could sure use some help though!” she called to her son, charging a very powerful barrier around herself, and then running directly into a large mix of the beasts that all sizzled and popped into dust on contact.
“Hiraikotsu!”
Several more of the pests were suddenly chopped in half, and taking a moment to catch her breath, Kagome raised her eyes skyward with a smile.
“It’s about time you got here!” she called to her friend, who currently rode atop a battle-ready Kirara, already preparing her weapon for another go-round.
“I’m getting too old for this!” Sango yelled good-naturedly instead of her standard battle-cry, as she swung her giant boomerang once more, expertly taking out several more of the hissing, scattering vermin, as the powerful weapon ducked to a mere two feet above the ground for several yards before climbing higher on its return.
Kagome looked on with never-failing amazement at Sango’s abilities to control the flight path of that thing, while at the same time, laughing softly at her friend’s words. She sympathized with her almost-sister, whom she could tell truly was starting to become effected by the passage of time.
She’s a mother of three… she reminded herself, smiling at her thoughts of cute little Aiko. She’d just turned six not long ago, the sweetheart.
Of course, she was a mother of three herself.
A well-timed kick from within her swollen belly prompted her to glance downward, and she amended…three and a half.
Shaking her head, knowing she needed to keep her mind focused for the time being, Kagome darted around to where several of the cretins were quickly encroaching upon the housing of the village. They appeared to produce some sort of acid, as any and all vegetation shriveled and died in their wake. Somebody’s unfortunate dog was caught off guard as the animal attempted to flee, and one of the roaches took it upon itself to snatch the yelping pup by his hindquarters, quickly devouring the flesh from his bones. Poor dog.
Shit, this is bad.
Several people had rushed outside by the time Kagome got there, weapons drawn, many of the men determined to defend their families, though some seemingly more prepared than others. Amongst the many torches, pitch forks, hoes, axes, and occasional sword, Kagome smiled momentarily at the sight of a chained scythe soaring through the air, ripping apart several more of the beasts, before returning to its master’s hand. Perhaps their oni leader had been right, their numbers were too great for her to face alone, but her son had also been right…she wasn’t alone. Nodding at the determined look across the male Taijiya’s face, the miko knew that Kohaku wouldn’t let any of the creatures come anywhere near their houses. He wasn’t only looking out for his own wife and son, but for everyone in the village.
Though…even with being as skilled a slayer as he was, there were far too many of them for him to face alone, too. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Kagome prepared herself for what she was about to do.
Noting that their resident butterfly youkai was also among those fighting, along side her husband, she quickly yelled “Etsuko look out!” before tossing out a steady stream of purifying energy, not unlike what she’d used against Naraku all those years back. With Etsuko safely flying overhead, Kagome swept the glowing beam across the youkai before her like an elongated light saber, every nasty-crawly she touched going up in smoke at the contact just like in a Raid commercial.
Sango came up behind her, then, having dismounted Kirara, and instantly noted the way her friend was hunched over, gasping for breath. It was hard on her, to exert so much power, so quickly. She couldn’t utilize as much of her raw strength while she was pregnant, her body naturally creating a barrier of protection around the demonic child within her womb, the safety of her unborn infant taking precedence against all else. That limited her strength a great deal, as the longer she continued to project an aura of purification, the longer her own body would continue to shield her unborn pup against it.
Kazuki came up on her other side, then, offering the silent placement of a clawed hand upon his mother’s shoulder, and Kagome understood the gesture for the question that it was.
“I’m fine, ‘Zuki.” she assured her son, having managed to regain her breath for the time being, as she straightened her back and assessed just how many roach-youkai were still running rampant. Not too many were left in their immediate vicinity, however she could feel the approach of several more from within the nearby forest.
In her appraisal of their surroundings, Kagome quickly noted that Miroku had taken it upon himself to create and hold a protective barrier for the villagers. That certainly explained why he hadn’t joined his wife’s side in battle. The glow from his staff was like a beacon in the rapidly encroaching darkness. Within the barrier huddled the village’s elderly, women, and children, as well as several of the men. Only a few of the strongest and bravest had declined the offer of spiritual protection in favor of continuing to offer their own services in battle. That was fine though, Kagome relented, not about to force anyone who didn’t feel capable to join in the battle. She would only end up having to rush to their aid. She was grateful enough for any assistance offered by those few who were able.
“Kohaku!” she called, “You’ve got village duty! Take care of any stragglers while I see if we can cut off the lot of them in the forest! Sango, Kazuki, you’re with me.”
“You got it!” Kohaku called back in acknowledgment, as he continued to slay any of the youkai who got too close for comfort.
Sango didn’t comment, as she was already atop Kirara, and quickly soaring towards the trees. The call of Hiraikotsu could be heard a few moments later.
Kazuki, however, stayed by his mother’s side, and the two of them were just getting ready to run off into the woods together, when the sudden call of “Aunt Kagome!” drew their attention back towards the village.
“Emi!” they both shouted in surprise, though Kazuki elaborated by adding “What the hell are you doing out of the barrier?!”
Ignoring her life-long friend’s ranting, she panted as she closed the distance between herself and her “aunt”, holding out a large bundle of several new arrows.
“I thought…you could use these…” the miko-in-training explained, out of breath from her run.
Kagome took a moment to clasp the girl’s shoulder affectionately, as she gratefully accepted the arrows. “Get yourself back in your father’s barrier.” she said softly.
“I can help!” Emi protested.
It was Kazuki who detected the approaching youkai first.
“Look out!” he cried, preparing to leap onto his enemy’s back, only to suddenly have to shift and maneuver himself midair to avoid landing upon the youkai, that was currently sizzling from the powers of the sutra Emi had just thrown upon its head.
A noise from somewhere behind her drew Kagome’s attention then, as she noted with surprise the figure of a thirteen year old boy also engaged in battle, Kichiro appearing very much like how Kagome remembered a younger Kohaku. Praying for his safety, she at least acknowledged that their parents had done well with their training. Glancing back at the girl before her, Kagome quickly realized that she was hardly in a position to tell Emi what to do. By that time’s standards, the young teen was a full-fledged adult. Besides, she had been fifteen when her adventure had first started. Looking at Emi now was like looking at an echo of herself. It didn’t help her déjà vu any that Kazuki was the spitting image of his father. Aside from very subtle differences in facial structure, and the darker coloring of his eyes, he looked exactly like Inuyasha. Especially in those fire-rat robes.
Speaking of which, it took Kagome a moment to realize she was suddenly seeing her son dressed in only his fire-rat hakama, and plain white kosode.
“Be careful…” he whispered worriedly to Emi, as he draped his suikan across her shoulders.
Okay…that’s a little too familiar. And where the hell is Inuyasha?!
Quickly darting off after her almost-sister, she knew Kazuki would follower her as soon as he assured himself that Emi was well protected. Scratching violently at her bonding mark, Kagome hoped her mate would catch a clue and get his butt in gear. This had gone on long enough. Entering the woods, she presented herself before the hordes of crawling youkai, standing still in a very ‘here I am, come and get me’ pose. Yelling to Sango to get Kirara a safe distance away, she charged an arrow…
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Several miles away, Inuyasha was actually already offering his assistance to the battle at home, even though nobody knew it. A “second line” if you will, had been under route, but he intercepted them, hordes upon hordes of nasty roach youkai, heading in the direction of his home village. He had obviously not needed to give the matter a second thought (or even a first) before he started slaughtering them left and right.
It wasn’t until the last youkai fell that he realized with foreboding that their stench still continued in the direction of his village. Cursing under his breath, he was already leaping through the trees when his bonding mark suddenly started to burn, and he literally turned white as the blood drained from his face at the realization of what it must mean.
Shit, hang in there Kagome!
Kicking it up a notch, Inuyasha triggered his youkai transformation, running as fast as conceivably possible. His feet barely touched the trees as he raced through the air, a flying blur of red and white.
What he saw when he arrived was not what he’d been expecting.
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Concentrating on the many demonic auras before her, she fired of arrow after arrow, taking a moment to also fling the occasional ball of purifying light directly at any youkai who managed to escape the blast of her arrow and crawl passed her. She was quite a force to be reckoned with, Kagome the Youkai Slayer. Kaede’s words of wisdom echoed in her ear from training sessions long ago, “One youkai is a lot easier to kill than ten.” Snorting aloud, Kagome found her memory of that warning almost humorous. Does the word ‘duh’ mean anything to you?
Kazuki finally joining her side, he teamed up with his mother and Sango, the three of them almost giving off the appearance of having everything under control. Almost
A few of the larger youkai, most likely the older ones, appeared to also be able to fling out their own energy attacks, just like Konton had done. That certainly caught them off guard, at first, when the monsters had everyone ducking for cover, Kagome throwing up a barrier just in time while Sango blocked the blades of youki with Hiraikotsu.
A horrid scream from somewhere back within the village drew Kagome’s attention then, the cry apparently being too low for Sango’s hearing with all the ruckus of battle so near. Turning, she concentrated on the breeze, relieved to discover there was no stench of human blood on the wind. It must have been a close call, but whatever had happened, somebody had come to the rescue in time.
Her brief pause in activity caused Kagome to unconsciously slump some in culminating exhaustion, and she was unaware of her barrier flickering in and out of existence until she heard Kazuki cry “Mother look out!” The next thing she knew, she was on her stomach, a rather uncomfortable place to be, considering the size of it. Hopefully her inner barrier had protected her baby from the fall. But she didn’t fall, she realized then; she had been pushed. She also quickly realized that her back kind of hurt, and that suddenly, she could smell blood, lots of it, and most of it not her own.
From Sango’s vantage point, the slayer had seen what had happened, everything occurring much too quickly for her to have hoped to do something about it from her place high above on Kirara. Several blades of youki energy had been in direct route to Kagome’s exposed back, Kazuki noticing and leaping to his mother’s rescue, shoving her out of the way at the same moment the blades struck. A couple of the blades still managed to strike Kagome’s person, though fortunately, it appeared as though the spider-silk of her demonic chihaya protected her flesh from most of the force. They did manage to cut through the fabric, and into her skin, and she had two long, though rather shallow, slashes running along her backside, but had it not been for the protective spider-silk material, she could have been cut in half.
Speaking of which, Kagome suddenly recalled with dread, Kazuki was not wearing his fire-rat suikan.
Leaping to her feet with more energy than she should have possessed by that point, Kagome quickly found what had become of her son, his blood soaking the ground through the many horrid gashes in his flesh, the remains of his kosode stained as red as his hakama. For one, brief moment, time seemed to stand still, as no youkai attacked during her investigation of her son. Or maybe it was that she’d thrown up a new barrier around both Kazuki and herself, unaware of its existence as it was done on a subconscious level. She could hear no outside noise. No crawling of destructive youkai pests. No roars in the wind from a flying boomerang. No screams from the frightened villagers. She could only hear the pounding of her own heart, accompanied by the weakening rhythm of her son’s.
Then it happened.
A pulse ripped through her, through her mind, vibrating against her very soul. Before she even had time to identify what she was feeling, it happened again, then again, as she suddenly realized her son’s aura was flaring brightly before her eyes. His hair, stained dark crimson in places, whipped around him in a breeze only he could feel, as his mother stared on in both relief and horror.
Coming to her senses, the world around her regained momentum, as Kagome was suddenly aware of Sango’s continued presence in battle, as more and more youkai fell by her hand. She and Kirara were both upon the ground now, most likely to offer Kagome the greatest protection possible while she’d been in her daze. Kirara took on many of the youkai herself, while Sango fell several with her katana, Hiraikotsu being of no use in combat that close. The slayer barely registered the sudden prickling in the back of her mind that screamed strong youkai before it was her turn to be flung out of the way, that time by a frantic Kagome.
Kazuki zipped passed them, seemingly ignoring the presence of the humans and fire-cat, as he lunged towards the lowly youkai who were responsible for injuring him. Ripping, slashing, tearing, the world was nothing but streaks of red, and cries of pain. The horrid youkai all fell one by one, but it wasn’t enough. More. He wanted more blood. Running off into the surrounding forest, he found each and every remaining youkai as they approached, until none of them remained among the living. More, there were still more of them around. He could smell them. Following their scent, he soon found himself outside the forest, standing instead in what appeared to be the edge of a human village, a few modest houses erected near by. There were a more youkai here, which the humans were fighting. He didn’t want those weak mortals to interfere in his battle. Those youkai were his. Taking care of the remaining youkai quickly enough, many screams filled the air as he passed, both from the youkai he slaughtered, as well as the humans who witnessed his actions. Stupid humans… He was just about to approach the cowering bunch, when something caught his attention.
“Kazuki…?” Kagome whispered cautiously, unaware if her son would recognize her voice in his current state.
This was bad. This was really bad. Kazuki had never transformed before. She had no idea how to get his youkai blood back under control, because, she realized with foreboding, he didn’t have a seal for his blood like his father’d had in Tetsusaiga, nor did he even possess a subduing spell.
But nevertheless, Kagome refused to fear her own son, as she continued to approach, despite Sango’s cries that she stay back.
I smell like him, I smell inu, surely he will at least recognize that we are pack.
“Kazuki…” she tried again, “The danger is over now, you can change back.”
He just glared at her, and she didn’t know if he even understood her words. Then she saw him take a long sniff in her direction, and she stiffened at the look in his eyes. He must have caught the scent of her blood. She was understandably nervous when she suddenly found herself face to face with her transformed son, as Kazuki had instantly closed the distance between them.
Then he woofed out something that was the inu equivalent for “mother hurt” and Kagome started to relax, until she realized that he had taken it upon himself to stand between her and the villagers, as though he were protecting her from a threat. That was also bad. If he perceived the other villagers as a danger to his mother, he could very well start attacking everyone in an attempt to ‘protect’ her. The fact that she was already injured put him on even higher alert.
That was the scene that Inuyasha crashed in on, as he finally made it the remaining fifteen miles home. It only took him a matter of seconds to realize what was going on, and he cursed under his breath. It wouldn’t matter that he and Kazuki looked so much alike. He knew from personal experience, that especially when in that form, all that truly mattered to the senses was smell. Right now, he stank like the innards of hundreds of roach youkai, and lying underneath that, was undoubtedly the lingering scents of several humans, from the many hugs he had received from the village children in thanks for bringing them food. His natural scent was so heavily buried at the moment, Kazuki would have to go out of his way to look for it, but…would he even bother to do so? Would it even occur to him that he might know this fellow youkai, and take the time to confirm his assumption?
The growl Inuyasha received in warning to stay away from Kagome implied that the answer was no.
Growling back, Inuyasha barked the command “submit to alpha” to see if that would get him anywhere. Unless Kazuki denied his claim outright, his instincts would force him to seek confirmation.
He watched with bated breath as Kazuki cautiously sniffed in his direction once more, but the crinkling of his nose told Inuyasha that he’d still failed to pick up his natural scent under all the junk. Sniffing himself, his own nose wrinkled. He really did stink of youkai guts right now. Even the humans could probably smell it.
“Inuyasha…” Kagome addressed, keeping her voice low as she knew her mate could hear her just fine, “Do you think Tetsusaiga would seal his blood?” she asked.
Glancing down at the sword on his hip, he replied just as quietly, “It’d be worth a try.”
Nodding her understanding, she attempted to turn Kazuki’s attention back to herself, so that Inuyasha could hope to close the distance between them unnoticed. Of course, when she stepped around her son to place herself in his line of vision, she was also placing her back to her mate, having forgotten about her injuries for the moment.
Inuyasha, who was also still transformed, was ruled more powerfully by his own instincts at the moment, despite his higher self-control. Quickly, he’d started to approach, thinking only of his mate as he screamed out “You’re hurt!” and it wasn’t until Kazuki whirled himself forward again, forcing Kagome behind his back, that Inuyasha realized the err of his ways.
That didn’t mean he was about to submit to his own son, though.
Instead, he did take a moment to calm himself, letting the red drain from his eyes, as his youki receded enough so that at least his aura wouldn’t appear quite so threatening. Unsurprisingly, he quickly reacted to the increase of his human emotions.
“Damn it pup!” he shouted in the human speech, “I ain’t gonna hurt your mother you idiot! I’m your sire, for fuck’s sake. Your mother is my mate!”
Kazuki paused, as if he were giving Inuyasha’s words some thought, but another sniff in the elder hanyou’s direction proved that he still wasn’t picking up his inu scent.
I don’t fucking believe this… Inuyasha cursed, as he quickly took his own claws and slashed at his opposite forearm.
“What the hell are you doing!?” Kagome shrieked, shocked to see her husband mutilate himself.
Kazuki sniffed again, that time easily detecting his father’s scent through his blood. But even though the pup seemed to alter his stance to indicate he no longer felt threatened by Inuyasha’s presence, he still didn’t appear to be losing his transformation. Several of the villagers had started to crowd in around them, too close for comfort as far as all three of them were concerned, though they were only curious, and worried, regarding what was happening to their leader’s first-born son. The surrounding torch light was enough for them to notice that the teen was currently sporting youkai markings identical to his father’s facial stripes, while his crimson gaze cut through the blackness as easily as his claws had cut through the remaining roaches. Quickly noticing how only the mildest hint of fear remained in the air, the more powerful emotions currently being closer to confusion and uncertainty, Inuyasha realized with dread that none of the villagers had ever had the privilege of witnessing his transformations of the past, so they really had no basis for comparison with regard to how much of a monster Kazuki truly was at the moment.
“Kagome…prepare a barrier.” he whispered, finally coming to the conclusion, as much as it pained him to admit it, that purification was likely the only way. He simply could not risk any of the villagers’ lives.
Nodding grimly, she too had started to fear that such a course of action was going to be the only option. Though it was something that she and Inuyasha had discussed several years back, when he had first started transforming during their love making and was concerned that he might accidentally hurt her, Kagome had never actually found herself having to purify him out of his transformed state. She knew she could offer a mild enough of a jolt to merely revert her son back to his hanyou form, but he’d be out of it for a while, and it would be painful. Neither parent wanted to hurt their baby, but it couldn’t be helped.
She was just getting ready to do it, when
“Kazuki…?”
Three heads quickly snapped in the direction of the soft voice, Kagome and Inuyasha both ordering Emi to get the hell back, while Kazuki’s eyes remained fixed on hers somewhat uncertainly.
Snarling at the human bitch to keep back, Emi ignored his growls, even though she knew very well what they meant. He had taught her as much remedial inu that a mortal could comprehend long ago. Yipping back in a non-threatening manner, Emi’s statement was somewhere along the lines of acknowledging his dominance, even though she defied him by continuing to approach against his wishes. Her yips were enough to keep him in place, though, as she at least made it clear enough that she had no intention of challenging him. Under the circumstances, Kazuki wasn’t about to leave his mother’s side, with so many other humans around, whom he was fairly certain were threats, so he quickly decided that he could deal with just this one bitch, so long as she knew her place.
Then, before anyone could blink, Emi suddenly closed the distance between them, virtually flinging herself into Kazuki’s arms, her own quickly wrapping around his wounded body, heedless of the blood that quickly soaked through her pale yukata.
Frozen in terror, neither Kagome nor Inuyasha could move from their spots, as they each held their breath, fearing their son’s immanent retaliation. The surrounding villagers were slowly catching on, as well, as they bore witness to Kazuki’s snarling visage, as he viciously clamped his clawed hands onto Emi’s upper arms, drawing ten thin trails of blood. He appeared to be trying to shove her away, but she held steadfast.
“Get away from him!” somebody suddenly shouted, Emi’s response a flat “I won’t leave him!”
Déjà vu all over again… Kagome thought, looking on with morbid fascination.
Sango and Miroku were instantly on the scene, each remembering the same event as their miko companion, each only mildly fearful for their daughter’s life, knowing that no matter what, Kagome would never let anything happen to her.
Kazuki would never let anything happen to her.
Still, what kind of father would he be if Miroku didn’t at least say something?
“Keep your mind about you.” he instructed. “Do not show your fear.”
I have no fear, father. she replied in her mind.
From across the way, Kohaku and Kichiro both came running, Kaori currently watching her husband’s youngest niece, while Kichiro tried to run to his big sister’s aid. He was quickly stilled by Inuyasha, who didn’t so much as offer the boy a side glance as he raised his hand against the teen’s chest when he tried to pass, eyes remaining fixed on the pair before him as he uttered “She’ll be fine.”
“Kazuki…” Emi whispered, confused. She was beginning to feel frightened for her friend, but not of him.
I won’t let you go…she thought, even as he continued to struggle against her hold, snarling in ways she was sure were meant to frighten her. Still, she knew that nothing was stopping him from merely attacking her outright, and so far, he had yet to do so. In desperation, she did the only thing she could think of to reach the real Kazuki, whom she knew was still in there, somewhere.
She didn’t need to stretch herself quite as high on her toes, as she stood a little taller than Kagome had at that age, but everyone knew what was coming as they saw her lean herself forward, closing the tiny gap between herself and the youkai who currently held her captive.
As Kagome watched their children’s lips meet, her miko aura detected the increase in Emi’s own powers, as the teen girl’s aura brushed against that of Kazuki’s raging youki. Instantly, both Kagome and her mate could feel their son’s demonic aura receding…apparently without any pain.
Instinctively, Kazuki returned the kiss. Then, as the crimson fully bled from his dark honey orbs, he stared at the girl before him in utter shock. “Emi…?” he managed to rasp in question, his mind racing.
He stared for a moment, unblinking, as he desperately attempted to gather his frantic thoughts. What on Earth just happened? Realizing he still held her much too tightly, he instantly released his grip, grimacing as he felt his claws recede from her flesh. No… Did he just…? Myouga had warned him once, but… Oh gods…
“I…transformed…?” he asked, his voice weak and shaky.
Nodding, Emi ignored the pain in her arms, as she wrapped them more tightly around her friend, whom she truly cared for as more than merely a friend.
Confused, frightened, and guilty, Kazuki tried to gently pry the girl off of him, but she only tightened her grip.
“Why aren’t you scared of me?” he asked in a whisper so low, it was heard by only Emi’s mortal ears, as well as the three people present who possessed demonic hearing.
Her response, however, was heard by everyone.
“Because I love you.”
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Later that night, it was the eldest of the two male hanyou who had difficulty falling asleep.
“It was all my fault.” Inuyasha berated himself.
“No it wasn’t.” Kagome assured him, adding “How were you to know that more youkai had already reached the village? You were doing your duty as our protector by stopping the ones you’d found when-”
His shaking head stilled her rambling.
“That’s not what I meant.” he confessed quietly, wishing to keep his voice low enough so as not to wake the object of his thoughts, Kazuki’s snoring easily reaching his ears. The pup was so exhausted, both mentally and physically, that he’d more passed out than fallen asleep.
“He didn’t hurt anyone.” Kagome assured her mate and husband, instantly realizing he had been referring to their son’s transformation. “All he did was take care of the rest of the youkai. Truly, he was coming to our rescue, even if he didn’t know it.”
“He hurt Emi.” Inuyasha whispered low, raising a shaking hand to rub his mate’s own upper arm where the faintest of scars still remained, her youkai healing unable to remove blemishes that had occurred prior to their bonding.
“Nobody holds that against him…or you.” she answered softly.
“I should have made him a seal for his blood.” he confessed, his self-loathing tangible. “I didn’t know…I didn’t think…”
“How could you know?” Kagome asked gently, desperately attempting to rescue her husband from his bout of depression. He had been a damn good father so far. Everyone made mistakes.
“You survived on your own for what, a hundred and fifty years or so, before Kikyou sealed you?” He nodded. “And in all that time, I’m sure you came close to death from one cause or another.”
“More than you know.” he answered, both of them aware that he’d never fully indulged in sharing with her the most painful moments of his past. She didn’t need to know, and he didn’t need to relive them.
“Yet…” she continued after nodding her deeper understanding, “You never transformed, not once. You never transformed until after Goshinki broke the Tetsusaiga. So how could you have known that Kazuki would need a seal, especially so early in life, after you’d spent so much of your own life without one, your first transformation only being triggered by your newly acquired seal then suddenly breaking?”
He offered her a small smile, appreciative of her attempts at logic, but then pointed out “You’re forgetting that I’d in truth held the Tetsusaiga with me all along, concealed away in the black pearl.”
Her expression shifted, meaning to say “Oh, yeah…” but she remained silent, her eyes still pleading with her mate to stop blaming himself for what could have been a disaster, but had not been.
“Well…” she finally started after a moment, “Looks like it’s time to visit old Totosai again.”
The miko smiled at the way her husband’s eyes lit up at that statement, instantly revealing that his depression had passed, as he smiled at her appreciatively. Chuckling softly, he mockingly rubbed his jaw, already envisioning the pain he was about to endure. “Gonna suck to have three fangs yanked out.” he muttered jokingly.
“Three?”
“No way in hell am I gonna make the same mistake with the girls.”
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Trans lations:
Aiko means Love-Child, and I felt it the most appropriate name for Miroku’s new daughter, after finally realizing that children between himself and Sango were symbols of their love.
As for Konton, Leader of the Gokiburi tribe…I trust those of you already more proficient with Japanese got a kick out of that one. Konton isn’t really a name, or at least not one that I would imagine anyone normal would give to their child. It literally means “chaos.” Gokiburi is simply the Japanese word for “cockroach.”