Welcome back, beloved readers! Once I got started I couldn't stop haha. Hope you guys enjoy my surprises. I will attempt to make this chapter much longer and answer some questions, posing many more and set up some of the relationships to come. Enjoy. :)
...FD...
Kagome froze when she broke through the trees, eyes wide in shock as she realized where she was and whose scent she followed. " Koga?!" she questioned incredulously.
The wolf prince turned his gaze on the strange demoness that called him by name. Crystal blue eyes widened in shock as he finally took in the changes of the woman in front of him, unable to believe it but that strange garb left no doubt in his mind. " Kagome?! Where have you been?! Muttface has been all over looking for you!" he cried, rushing to her and embracing her tightly.
He had long since accepted she would never be his. He had finally accepted Ayame's suit and their first litter was due any day now.
Kagome tensed, her relief at finding a friendly face washed away with dread at his words," He's been looking for me? How long have I been missing?" she asked looking more closely at the plant life surrounding her. That couldn't be right, spring had only just started when they went to seek out Naraku for the final battle and yet, these plants looked near harvesting.
That would mean she was missing almost half a year.
The very thought left her feeling panicked.
Koga rubbed the back of his neck," Nobody has seen you in months. Muttface and the little fox were all but begging me to help them find you, but I can't leave Ayame very long as she is currently." he explained releasing her," Now care to explain why my woman is now a snow wolf?" he asked playfully, the claim empty of all possession.
Kagome flushed looking away before she shook her head, swatting at the wolf's arm," You just said you're with Ayame, you shouldn't make such jokes Koga. Now, what's wrong with her? Is it anything I can help with?" she asked, latching onto the hope of being able to help these friends of hers.
Koga flushed, rubbing his neck a little as he chuckled," Well, our cubs will arrive soon, the first ones since Naraku killed so many of my pack. We could use a healer if you're offering Kags. Ginta and Hakkaku missed you too." he said, relieved he would not have to venture further to find a midwife since in his opinion he had found the best healer in the land.
He had many questions he wanted to ask her, but he sensed it was not the time for it, instead deciding to offer her food and seeking her aid and they could go from there.
He led her back to his den, glancing to her clothes," You know, you really should get rid of those and wear some proper clothing." he said with a sigh, making her smile.
"I suppose you are not wrong, I just, don't want to let go of my roots I suppose," she answered in a bemused tone. She followed him, wondering if she would even be able to return to her home as she was.
She was not prepared for the guarded greeting she got at first, used to Koga's pack welcoming her like one of their own.
Only once Koga explained it was the same Kagome they had always known, just a little different. When the wolves sniffed at her, they caught her personal scent under the new changes, and they all seemed to relax, Ginta and Hakkaku hugging her tightly with cries of " Sister!"
Just as everything began to calm down a very pregnant Ayame made her appearance. "Kagome sama?! Is it really you?!" she questioned with sincere happiness in her words, not holding a grudge against the woman who never returned her mate's prior affections. " But how? You were human before you disappeared!" she said once she had finished hugging the woman, one hand resting on her swollen stomach, the other around Kagome's shoulders as she guided the woman into the cave system that was their den, calling for elk and boar for both of them. Koga trailed indulgently behind his mate." Did you wish to become a demon?" she asked curiously.
Kagome shook her head in answer," I don't know how I ended up like this. I don't remember anything other than racing Naraku for the jewel. I wished with everything in me that the jewel would simply disappear. Then, nothing until I woke up a few hours ago not too far from here." she explained, helping the pregnant demoness into a comfortable pallet of furs before she sat down herself. "Did everyone make it out of the final fight? What about Naraku? What became of him?" she questioned, beseeching the couple for answers.
Koga smiled, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall of the cave," Everyone made it out, you were the only one not accounted for. Well, you and that bastard. No one has seen anything of the damned spider half breed or you, a lot of us feared you died with him but you're here so that will make Inutrasha shut up his whimpering at least. I heard even the ice prick brother of his joined in the search for you." he elaborated.
His words made Kagome feel a little guilty, even if realistically she could have done nothing to change it. Kagome still bristled at the man's nickname for her friend but sighed shaking her head," Will you ever grow up and stop picking on him?" she asked, earning a giggle from Ayame.
" Probably not. It is part of his charm." his mate answered, making even Kagome giggle with her. The red headed wolf winced at a particularly strong kick from her pups suddenly, her hand going over her swollen abdomen," I think they like your laughter Kagome." she said with a half smile as Ginta made his way into their room, carrying two cleaned carcasses, one of each beasts Ayame had requested.
That drew the Miko's mismatched eyes to her, concern furrowing her brows," Shift your furs so I can see your belly, I want to see something if you don't mind." Kagome requested.
Ayame had little problem complying with the request.
Kagome would have called forth her reiki to check their health but remembered at the last minute these were not her typical human patients. Instead, she focused on the hotter power that flowed in her veins, finding it responded similarly to her holy powers, with a great measure of relief. She pressed her palm against the wolf's stomach and channeled her youki through her palm, into the soon-to-be mother's flesh, simply evaluating the cubs and their mother, shocked at the detail she was getting from the act when before she had not been able to get half as much with only her reiki. " All three little ones are healthy and strong, but you should eat some more vegetables and cream from cows or yaks. You can trade with humans to get some if there are none around here," she said as she realized the woman was missing out on nutrients people from her time took for granted because of the easy convenience and availability.
Koga looked a bit skeptical but nodded his head to Ginta," You heard her get someone on it. There's a human village not too far from here, see if they have any of it," he ordered, the silvery blue haired man nodding his obedience as he took off to put out the orders of his alpha.
Koga watched Kagome and his mate a small smile in place as he moved to his woman, placing a kiss on her forehead," You should rest. I'll talk to Kagome about the rest of it." he promised, making Ayame nod and smile contentedly. He used his claws to cut her favored sections from each of the animals, offering them to his mate before he rose, lifting the rest easily and beckoning Kagome to follow him once more, with a jerk of his head.
She rose once she draped a fur over the pregnant wolf and followed, stopping only to offer a bow. " If anything at all happens, just call me. As long as you don't mind I will stay until your little ones are born to make sure you all recover well before I head off to find the others." she offered.
Ayame nodded her agreement, her green eyes sparkling with hints of mischief," You'd better stick around. Now go catch up with Koga before you end up lost again," she teased light hearted, earning a smile from Kagome as she obeyed.
Koga glanced back to see the now silver haired Kagome catching up to him and nodded his head towards a small cave that was sectioned off with a large, treated swatch of animal hide," It's nothing like the northern Shiro but we're all more comfortable here than there. This room is yours. Actually," he paused setting down the meat and rubbing the back of his neck," Ayame and I talked a lot of things over while you guys went off to fight that half breed bastard. And we agreed that no matter the outcome, you more than earned a place in the pack. I know you'll never be my woman and I realized that you were never mine, to begin with, but you're still pack. My gut always said you would be important to the pack, just not in the ways I thought." he said, leaving poor Kagome reeling from the realization of what he was offering her.
A home, a true home, no strings, no pressure, no mating required. She smiled, lunging at him and hugging him in her happiness.
He chuckled, accepting that as her answer as he returned her hug," Ayame will be glad to know how happy it made you sis," he said, enjoying the way she flushed happily. " Now eat, I'm sure you're starving after all that. We can spar a little later and see what you can do." he offered, Kagome nodding her agreement to his words.
At least if nothing else went right, she would have a place of her own. She did not know what to expect from her friends, though she hoped for the best. She hesitated, reaching out for Koga when he turned to leave," You have already done so much, but, could I ask one last thing?" she questioned, her tone hesitant and nervous, half expecting him to get irritated at her greed and consider her ungrateful for everything.
He nodded, looking intrigued," Sure Kags, what is it?" She glanced away," I know I said I'd stay and not seek the others out, but, I miss Shippo, and he is probably worried sick." she trailed off, Koga realizing the relationship between her and the little fox.
He gave her an understanding smile," I'll go get him myself. How about that? I can do it faster than anyone else here and if you are here to look after Ayame while I am gone I'll feel much better about it." he offered, smiling wider at her surprised gasping face, laughing outright when she bowed deeply to him.
He cuffed her head lightly," don't worry about it Kags, you're pack. " He assured, ruffling her hair," You just get used to your new abilities so we can have a proper sparring session when I get back with the shrimp," he ordered, leaving her with those words
...FD...
Kagome closed her eyes as she sat under the waterfall, the brisk cold water pounding over her helping to center her as she meditated, working out the way her new powers interacted.
She was impatient for Koga's return and eager to finally see her adopted son again. She only hoped Koga prepared the kit for what he would find. She was expanding her sense, keeping a fraction of her attention on Ayame since her contractions had increased in frequency. Her birth may not be immediate but it would be soon. She knew it, some point in the next two days, she was willing to bet on it.
There was a small flicker of movement that drew her focus. She opened her eyes, rising and stepping from the spray as her mismatched gaze roamed over the dense undergrowth of the shore line. A short burst of her Youki had her clothes dry in moments as she found the sliver of energy that caught her attention.
Then she smelt it, a sharp metallic tang that the water had kept from her sense of smell. Acting on impulse she rushed towards the wavering life force she sensed, startling the small black and silver haired fox kit.
It was too covered in drying blood for Kagome to tell its gender, the poor child's scent nearly hidden by the sickly sweet stench of infection and death setting in.
Her bleeding heart could not allow her to ignore the fox kit in need as she scooped the weakened child up, uncaring of the blood sure to stain her white blouse.
The kit was too far gone to protest, quivering in her grasp but unable to even lift its head to bite at her or struggle against her at all.
A child resigned to death... it tore at her heart strings and she let out a low growl without thinking about it, ordering the child to live. She moved to the water, sitting on a submerged stone so she could ease the fabric away from the young kit's skin without doing more damage, pouring her energy into the child as she cleaned the wounds.
There was no saving the shredded clothes and her sense of justice demanded to seek out whoever would dare harm an innocent so badly.
She allowed the current to carry away the ruined clothes. Tearing a strip off of her sleeve she used it to clean away the dirt clotted blood and used her own energy to speed the child's mending until the young kit was only asleep due to exhaustion.
Assured the child would live she rose, shedding her shirt to cover the little girl as she carried her back to the den. She was too concerned about the child to bother considering her own modesty was only maintained by the chest wrappings she had adopted after her final bra had been destroyed in some battle or another against a demon long before her transformation.
She paused by Ayame's room to check on her and fill her in on the young kit before retiring to her room with the little female fox kit.
She couldn't be much older than Shippo had been when she first met him. Kagome smiled sadly at the memories, glad to have found Shippo but so saddened by his loss. She would never give up the boy for anything, but it did not mean she was so selfish as to be happy he had lost his family. She wondered what this young kit's story was but sighed, unable to know until she woke.
She was distracted from her thoughts by a nervous knocking on the wall near her door.
Hakkaku was there, shooting her a nervous grin," Ayame said you needed clothes so, we found you this." he said offering her a small pile of both fabric and fur.
The fur was a soft, white pelt, long enough to go from her shoulders down well below her hips, the kimono he offered a deep purple, outer kimono with a simple white inner one," We traded for the clothes with the humans and Ayame wanted you to have the pelt as a gift," he explained, black eyes averted from her state of dress.
Kagome smiled in gratitude, touched by the consideration her new pack had given her as she nestled the sleeping kit into the furs. She accepted the clothes and gave the bashful wolf a hug of gratitude," You guys are the best." she declared with a brilliant smile that had the poor male flushing darkly. Once he left, she changed into the new clothes, tieing up her long hair before glancing at the little kit once more, debating what to do about her until Koga returned.
...FD...
Well, there is another long-ish chapter for you all, hope you enjoyed it. I will probably continue it all soon to get it all out in the next couple weeks. hope you enjoy it.