-Here we go. Time to find out what happened to our Inu! And time to see if my writing abilities have left me...hehehe :) -Hailye-
He swung his mighty sword with all his strength at the massive demon just before it destroyed the home it was towering over. His whole body was poised and ready to face whatever foe appeared but his mind seemed otherwise preoccupied. His body needed no assistance from his mind. Fighting came naturally to him and it required little thought.
In his mind however he was struggling. He knew this was not where he should be. The most important thing in his life thus far could be happening at any moment and he would surely miss it thanks to the mess caused by this demon. His wife, Kagome, was without him and in his mind, vulnerable, without his protection. And even worse, she was expected to have their child any day when he had been called to help defeat this demon attacking in Haijiro. He couldn't have just let the innocent people in the village attempt to fight the demon themselves. He knew he had to help and he knew Kagome would have expected him to and, if not for her current situation, she would have gone with him.
He had had every intention of making it back home before Kagome would need him, but things got more and more complicated during his time in Haijiro. The demon he had come to squelch had given him more trouble than he expected, poisoning InuYasha and incapacitating him for a few days. Once InuYasha had overcome the poisoning he continued hunting the demon that had now fled Haijiro. Now that he had caught up to him, the demon physically was no match for InuYasha and he made quick work of him.
The demon vaporized with the last swing of the Tetsusaiga and InuYasha breathed a sigh of relief as he fell to his knees. He was exhausted from the non-stop traveling for days and to be honest he was still worn down from the poison that had drained his body of its strength. 'I've got to get home to Kagome. This has taken way to long.' And with that thought, he instantly sprang to his feet and began running. Home was just a two day's trip if didn't stop to sleep, which at this point as anxious as he was to return home he had no intentions of doing so. 'I'm coming Kagome. I'll be there as fast as I can!' he thought to himself as he pushed his legs harder and faster against the unforgiving ground.
Kagome decided she needed to get up and move around. Lying around for two days had made her body stiff and her muscles draw tight. She slowly and quietly rose to her feet and stretched her arms above her head in relief. 'Ah, that feels nice,' she thought to herself. She glanced back at the bassinet which held Satsu and smiled at the sight of her peaceful, sleeping face. Kagome stepped out of the hut into the gloomy mist of the morning. It had rained the night before and the rain brought a chill that hung in the air which made Kagome shiver slightly. Sango was sitting outside near the fire cooking some of the fish she and Miroku had caught that morning.
"Hey Kagome, how are you feeling?" Sango asked concernedly. "We were just cooking up some fish if you're hungry."
"I'm feeling better now that I'm up and moving a bit. I think I'll just take a quick stroll around to loosen up and get some fresh air. Satsu is sleeping; do you mind just listening for her? I won't be long," she asked softly. She just needed a minute to clear her head.
"Sure, it's no problem at all. We'll keep an eye on her for you," Sango replied. She smiled at Kagome as she turned to leave and added, "Enjoy your walk!"
Kagome stepped out onto the path and walked to the water's edge near the river that ran through the village. She stared down into the water but it was not her reflection she saw. It was only his face that was looking back at her from the flowing water instead of her own reflection. InuYasha had constantly been on her mind in the days since Satsu's birth. She still had not heard anything more about the demon attacking Haijiro which means she knew nothing more about InuYasha. The worry was driving her insane, crazy enough that she was ready to set out to find him herself. She sighed heavily. She couldn't leave Satsu. She would just have to wait it out and hope for him to be home soon.
A heavy gust of wind blew across the water and Kagome shivered again, this time with a deeper chill than before. "I should have brought something to keep me warm," she said aloud. As she sat down on the grassy water's edge she pulled her knees up to her chest which wasn't the most comfortable position physically but somehow emotionally it made her feel a little more together than she had felt the last few days. Somehow the absentminded words, "Oh InuYasha, where are you?" slipped from her lips and a lonely tear slowly fell down her cheek and as silently as it came, it fell on the ground and disappeared. She slowly stood up and turned around to begin her walk back to the hut where Satsu was still sleeping soundly. Before she could even make the first step back up the hill, she saw something that made her heart jump, literally leap in excitement and relief. Just a few strides away from her stood InuYasha, undoubtedly grinning from ear to ear when he saw how her face lit up. She was so excited and surprised that her mind took a moment to catch up with her legs and before she knew it she had tripped. But it was not the ground that caught her, but instead the warm and loving arms of InuYasha.
"Oh, InuYasha, I can't begin to explain how happy I am to see you!" Kagome said exasperatedly as she nuzzled close to his chest, not wanting to ever be separated from him again. Before she knew it tears were falling down her face and soaking into his haori.
"Mmmm, Kagome," InuYasha breathed in deeply, taking in as much of Kagome's scent as possible in one solid breath. He had missed her so much and was so happy to be reunited once again. He noticed she had now begun sobbing and he cooed, "Don't cry Kagome. I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere." He reached down and kissed the top of her hair and then pulled her face up to meet his. For a moment they just gazed into each other's eyes, the joy of their reunion spoke volumes without words in the reflections of their eyes. After a moment, InuYasha was the first to speak.
"So when do I get to meet-" He was cut off by Kagome reaching up to kiss his lips tenderly. "Her name is Satsu," she said, her smile glowing in the misty haze. As they stood, InuYasha swept Kagome off her feet and carried her, bridal style, back to the hut. As he picked her up, she noticed as he tried to hide his flinch from her. She opened her mouth to ask about it and InuYasha stopped her. "I'll tell you about it later. No need to worry," he added.
As the two became visible through the thickening mist, Miroku and Shippo stood up in surprise and Shippo shouted with joy. "InuYasha!" he said as his tail twitched in excitement. "Hey there, runt," InuYasha replied with a smile.
"Sango is inside with Satsu," Miroku said, and with that he watched the two nod and walk into the hut. Sango turned to see them walk in together and her smile beamed. She was holding little Satsu and slowly rocking her. The child was still sound asleep. She walked over to InuYasha and he immediately reached down and carefully took the sleeping child. His eyes lit up with a fervor and adoration that had no comparison. He was now a father, and this little, fragile bundle was his little girl. He simply looked at Kagome and back to Satsu and said, "She's perfect, just like her mom." Sango and Kagome both laughed a happy, light laugh that brought warmth and comfort to the entire room. Kagome wrapped her arms around InuYasha and sighed a contented sigh, happy to have her small little family intact once more.
-Yay! I managed to spit out an entire chapter without having a brain aneurysm, although it was close. Writers block is a beast. Review if you have time, I'd love it!-Hailye-
