"Akiko! Damn you, bastard!" The demon screamed. He began to slaughter the villagers, using his spear the behead the men and set their bodies on fire. The girl fell to the ground and blood poured from the wound. Katsu fell to the ground beside her and hugged her tightly.
"My love, you have to wake up! C'mon, we'll make you better," he said through broken sobs. Her blood was staining his golden kimono and her eyes were barely open.
"Inuayasha, we have to help them!" Kagome said, heading toward the flames.
"Kagome, you idiot! You'll get burned." He groaned and leapt out of hiding to scoop her up. He leapt over the flames and landed beside Katsu. He growled and reached for his spear.
"Who are you, halfblood?" the demon snarled. Inuyasha set Kagome down and slid in front of her.
"I should be asking you the same, fox." Realization hit Kagome. His eyes and pointed ears did look like that of a fox. So he was similar to Shippo.
"Stop it, you two. We can help her," Kagome said, peeking out from behind Inuyasha's shoulder. The fox shifted its gaze to her face.
"Another human? Why should I trust you?" he hissed. Akiko gasped and her breath seemed to barely escape her lips. Katsu's face twisted into worry and he ground his teeth.
"You have no choice, as it seems." Inuyasha said, looking at Katsu's bleeding leg. The demon nodded and stood, but his leg spilled out blood. Kagome stepped forward and kneeled to put pressure on the wound.
"Kagome, don't get near him!" Inuyasha yelled. She waved him off and smiled at the demon.
"Can you walk?" He seemed nervous but nodded. Inuyasha lifted Kagome and Akiko onto his back. Both demons began to run back towards their village. Katsu looked around and was shocked at the number of demons in the village. They were living in peace with the humans!
"Who are you people?" He asked, shocked at the small demon children playing with the humans.
"Just two people who want to help," Kagome said. They took the girl inside and Kagome began to bless her wound. She went to grab pots with healing aids and began to work on the girl's wounds.
"Is this your slave?" Katsu asked, staring at Kagome as she worked. Inuyasha let out a deep growl.
"Shut up, you ass. She's my fiancé."
"Fiance?" Katsu asked, cocking his head to the side.
"It means we're to be married." The demon's eyes widened in surprise.
"You're lovers?" Inuyasha nodded and kept his eyes glued to her.
"I'm surprised. I've never met another pair who are more than just partners." Inuyasha shifted his gaze to the golden haired girl.
"So what's your story anyways?" Katsu sighed and smeared some antibiotic on his leg.
"We were traveling in search of a legendary tree that grants immortality to humans. But, we came across that village that must've been pillaged by some other demon. They were saying something about taking their women and grabbed Akiko as we took food from their orchard. Next thing I knew…they'd cut open my leg and impaled her." Inuyasha nodded and his hand clenched. If Kagome had ever been in such danger, he'd destroy every human.
The door slammed open and a young man stood in the doorway. His tail wound around his feet and his ears perked up.
"Another fox? I knew I smelled something," Shippo said, smiling at first but then worried about the smell of blood.
"Kagome! Are you alright?" He asked. She nodded but stayed focused on her work.
"Come back later, Shippo. We'll talk then," Inuyasha said. He shook his head and pointed behind him.
"Sango's in labor!" Kagome looked up in alarm. Of course, now would be the time she went into labor. Akiko gasped and opened her eyes.
"Katsu…" she whispered, tears pooling. "It hurts," she cried. He put his forehead against hers and held the side of her face.
"It'll be better soon," he murmured. She nodded and Kagome sent Inuyasha to deliver the medicine to Sango's home. He hated leaving her with a demon he didn't know.
A beautiful woman collected lilies from the pond she sat by. Her long black hair wound around her in a beautiful river. She had a soft smile on her face and hummed quietly.
"Rin, please come here." She looked up as Sesshomaru reclined against the tree.
"You've grown so lazy, my lord," she said with a laugh that sounded like chimes. He sighed and reached out toward her. She walked to him and took his hand. He pulled her into him and she curled up against his chest. She placed the lilies in her lap and looked up at him.
"You seem so tired," he murmured, wiping the dirt from her cheek. She shook her head and blood flushed to her cheeks. He smiled and kissed her. His claws cradled her face and he tightened his grasp on her.
"Sesshomaru, your hands are cold," she whispered. He smiled and smoothed her hair.
"Warm them with your love, human." She kissed him again and he slid the kimono off her shoulders. She breathed in his scent and let the night take them.
She breathed out a heavy sigh and left Katsu to tend to Akiko. Sango had given birth to a healthy baby girl. She was fast asleep as Miroku held the child. Inuyasha rushed to get back to Kagome. It was late into the night now and exhaustion sat in his stomach. He opened the door to their room and found her in her night clothes. She was combing out her hair and turned to smile as he entered.
"Is Katsu alright?" he asked, taking off his armor and laying down his sword. His kimono was stained with Akiko's blood and he shed it. She averted her eyes and pulled at a tangle in her hair.
"He's with Akiko. They should both feel better in a few days." Inuyasha knelt beside her and blew out the candle. Kagome got under the blankets and he laid beside her. They still weren't used to sharing a bed, so she had no idea what to do.
"Come here, idiot," he murmured, pulling her close to him. She pressed her cheek against his warm chest and relaxed instantly.
"Is this alright?" Inuyasha asked. She nodded and traced patterns on her chest. He kissed her forehead and tightened his arms around her.
"I could stay like this always," she whispered. He smiled and kissed her. He hadn't felt this happy in a long time.
"I'm afraid of us being apart. I'm afraid of…" he whispered. She looked up at him in surprise.
"Would it be easier if I were human?" He asked, smoothing her hair back. She looked up at him in shock.
"Where is this coming from, Inuyasha?" She looked into his worried eyes. He shook his head and kissed her hard.
"I want to be mortal with you forever," he said. She smiled and wound her fingers in his hair.
"I'll always be with you." He nodded and held her so tight she couldn't breathe. She buried her face in his neck and slowly fell asleep.
"She's beautiful," Sango said, beaming at the small child in her arms. Miroku smiled and continued combing through his wife's hair. She'd been through a lot in the past day. Kirara purred and rubbed her face against the baby.
"Can I hold her? Please!" Yuki yelled, smiling up at her mother. Sango smiled and carefully rested the baby in her sister's lap. Kagome entered the hut and rushed to hug Sango.
"How's the baby?" she asked, pulling out some food she'd brought for Sango.
"She's doing very well, but she's so quiet compared to Yuki." The small girl laughed and rested her head against her mother's arm.
"I heard a girl was brought to town. Is she alright?" Kagome nodded and smiled.
"I'm heading to check on her now. I'll be back around dinner to check on you two again okay?" Sango nodded and smiled. Kagome grabbed her things and headed out. Inuyasha was heading toward the village they'd originally been checking on the day before. She changed into her traveling clothes along with her bow and arrow. Inuyasha would never let her go back to that village alone, but she had to investigate the strange claims of the villagers. Maybe the demon who'd killed all the women had left behind some sort of clue.
She sighed at her bicycle, it would take forever to get back to that village. A soft purr sounded from her foot. Kirara had followed her and jumped onto her shoulder.
"Will you lend me a hand Kirara?" She asked, laughing while she licked her cheek. The cat transformed into a large demon and Kagome jumped on her back. At least now she had some backup if they ran into trouble.