A/N: This is the second alternate ending. Special thanks to Lady Pyro for
the inspiration here. At the moment, this is all I have written, but
hopefully I'll get one or two more versions done soon then you can pick one
for me to continue. So reviews are important!
The shrill cry of an infant echoed throughout the maternity ward. Kagome, panting and gritting her teeth in pain, marveled at the first sight of her newborn… Well, that's right. She chose not to know the sex…
"Ms. Higurashi, it's a girl!"
A second cry added its voice to the other's.
"And another girl!"
Kagome threw herself back against the bed, breathing heavily and squeezing her mother's hand tightly.
A moment later, two soft, pink bundles were placed in her arms.
"Congratulations, Ms. Higurashi. You've got twins!" the doctor announced before leaving the room.
"Mama!" Kagome gasped, looking up at Mrs. Higurashi. "I'm a mama!"
* * *
"Ohhh, Shiraga-chan, Sora-chan! Today is a big day! You get to meet your daddies!" Kagome cooed to the babies as she slung a diaper bag over her shoulder.
It had been a month since the birth of the twins, and Kagome had decided it was time to talk to Miroku and Inu-Yasha. See, there was a bit of a catch in her plan. Originally, she had intended to have the baby (babies, in this case) and then try to figure out who the father is. She thought it would be rather obvious if the baby had a hole in its hand or silver hair and gold eyes.
But Kagome never considered what to do if she came up with both…
Walking out of the door of her house with a bag and a double baby carrier, she said good bye to her mother and went to the Bone-Eater's Well.
Kagome used a pulley system to lower the baby carrier and bag down to the bottom of the well and then hopped down herself, grabbing her precious cargo just as the Shikon no Tama's power sent her back in time hundreds of years.
Just as she had hoped, the ropes tied to her bag and the carrier were transported exactly as they were: tied to the edge of the well.
After climbing out, Kagome pulled on the ropes, retrieving her daughters and their necessities.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she took a moment to collect herself and be thankful her little experiment had worked.
When she finally worked up her courage, Kagome set off in the direction of Kaede's village.
Her palms, gripping the handle of the carrier containing her two sleeping children, sweated profusely. Nervously, she went over in her head what to say.
"Hello, Inu-Yasha, I've got something to tell you… You're a father…"
She couldn't even begin to guess what his reaction would be. Certainly, Kaede, Shippo, and Sango, would welcome her back with open arms. Miroku would probably be forgiving, too. Inu-Yasha was the wild card, the truly unpredictable one.
And he was the one she cared most about.
Kagome had done a lot of thinking over the time of her pregnancy and then when she returned home from the hospital. And all this contemplation had brought her to two conclusions.
One: She was in love with Inu-Yasha. Plain and simple. She wanted him to be her husband, father to her children, hers exclusively forever…
Two: The origin of her mismatched twins. How did one of her little girls end up the spitting image of Inu-Yasha and the other closely resembling Miroku, right down to the dog nose and the air void, respectively? Yes, Kagome had a theory about how her twins had two different fathers…
Abruptly, Kagome came upon the small village, busy as ever. The streets were full of people, hurrying this way or that, pausing to browse at little shops, or slowly making their way to some unknown destination.
Here, Kagome took another deep breath and breached the point of no return. She put on a big smile and stepped out of the forest.
Immediately, she was spotted by a group of familiar villagers who whispered among themselves in wonder and gaped at what she was holding.
"Is that Kagome-sama? What is she carrying? Are those her children in there?" they asked each other while smiling and greeting her cheerfully as she passed through the streets to Kaede's home.
Kagome grinned and waved back politely, but she could hear the undercurrent of gossip, could see the wide eyes and astonished faces. She knew her absence would generate quite a bit of puzzlement, and her return would precipitate even more speculation, but she wasn't quite prepared for this. People with whom she had worked, people whose lives she had saved, they were all staring at her in scrutiny.
Upon reaching the abode of her old friend, Kaede, Kagome paused again before knocking lightly on the door.
"K-Kaede? It's me, Kagome. I came back…"
But when the door was swung open, it was not Kaede standing there. Instead, Kagome was greeted by a young woman in her mid-twenties, with long, black hair tied back in a red ribbon. She wore red and white robes identical to those of Kaede and Kikyo and was on the short side; Kagome stood a full six inches taller.
"Can I help you?" she asked, studying Kagome's strange clothes with curious brown eyes.
"Uh… Isn't this Kaede's house?" Kagome stuttered.
"Kaede? Oh! I knew it! You're Kagome, aren't you?" the woman exclaimed, smiling merrily.
"Yes, I am, but how did you—"
"I've heard so much about you! But I just moved here six months ago, so you wouldn't know me. Come in, please" she said, ushering Kagome inside.
Hesitantly, Kagome entered the memorable house and noticed that it looked exactly the same as she remembered it—only with a new tenant, apparently.
"Would you like some tea? I can boil some water," the woman offered, retrieving her tea leaf supply.
"No, thanks," Kagome politely refused.
"I'm terribly sorry I don't have much to give you by way of food and drink. I don't live a very luxurious life…" she apologized.
"That's all right… Where's Kaede?" Kagome asked, suddenly remembering why she came.
The woman froze then turned to face Kagome.
"Oh… You mean you don't know?" she said softly.
"Know what?"
"Kaede's dead… She passed away about seven months ago, a little before I came here. Actually, I'm something of her replacement. Now I'm the village miko," the woman explained gently.
"Kaede is… dead?"
Kagome felt her strength drain from her body. If Kaede was gone, and Kagome was back in her own time, what was there left to keep Miroku, Shippo, Sango, and Inu-Yasha here?
"What about Miroku? Sango? Shippo? Inu-Yasha?" she demanded urgently, grabbing the miko's robe with her free hand.
"Calm yourself, Kagome-sama! I know nothing of the people you mentioned. Like I said, I only came here six months ago," the woman soother, trying to pry Kagome's iron grip off her robes.
Kagome's hand went limp. She fell back against a nearby wall and slid down to a sitting position, placing her baby carrier next to her feet.
"You don't know anything about Inu-Yasha?" she repeated absently.
"Only the stories the villagers told me. And not many at that," the woman replied, seating herself on the floor across from Kagome.
'Kaede's dead,' Kagome thought. 'Everyone else has gone off to who- knows-where. Inu-Yasha has disappeared. Will my children ever get to meet their fathers? Will I never get to tell Inu-Yasha how I feel?'
The shrill cry of an infant echoed throughout the maternity ward. Kagome, panting and gritting her teeth in pain, marveled at the first sight of her newborn… Well, that's right. She chose not to know the sex…
"Ms. Higurashi, it's a girl!"
A second cry added its voice to the other's.
"And another girl!"
Kagome threw herself back against the bed, breathing heavily and squeezing her mother's hand tightly.
A moment later, two soft, pink bundles were placed in her arms.
"Congratulations, Ms. Higurashi. You've got twins!" the doctor announced before leaving the room.
"Mama!" Kagome gasped, looking up at Mrs. Higurashi. "I'm a mama!"
* * *
"Ohhh, Shiraga-chan, Sora-chan! Today is a big day! You get to meet your daddies!" Kagome cooed to the babies as she slung a diaper bag over her shoulder.
It had been a month since the birth of the twins, and Kagome had decided it was time to talk to Miroku and Inu-Yasha. See, there was a bit of a catch in her plan. Originally, she had intended to have the baby (babies, in this case) and then try to figure out who the father is. She thought it would be rather obvious if the baby had a hole in its hand or silver hair and gold eyes.
But Kagome never considered what to do if she came up with both…
Walking out of the door of her house with a bag and a double baby carrier, she said good bye to her mother and went to the Bone-Eater's Well.
Kagome used a pulley system to lower the baby carrier and bag down to the bottom of the well and then hopped down herself, grabbing her precious cargo just as the Shikon no Tama's power sent her back in time hundreds of years.
Just as she had hoped, the ropes tied to her bag and the carrier were transported exactly as they were: tied to the edge of the well.
After climbing out, Kagome pulled on the ropes, retrieving her daughters and their necessities.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she took a moment to collect herself and be thankful her little experiment had worked.
When she finally worked up her courage, Kagome set off in the direction of Kaede's village.
Her palms, gripping the handle of the carrier containing her two sleeping children, sweated profusely. Nervously, she went over in her head what to say.
"Hello, Inu-Yasha, I've got something to tell you… You're a father…"
She couldn't even begin to guess what his reaction would be. Certainly, Kaede, Shippo, and Sango, would welcome her back with open arms. Miroku would probably be forgiving, too. Inu-Yasha was the wild card, the truly unpredictable one.
And he was the one she cared most about.
Kagome had done a lot of thinking over the time of her pregnancy and then when she returned home from the hospital. And all this contemplation had brought her to two conclusions.
One: She was in love with Inu-Yasha. Plain and simple. She wanted him to be her husband, father to her children, hers exclusively forever…
Two: The origin of her mismatched twins. How did one of her little girls end up the spitting image of Inu-Yasha and the other closely resembling Miroku, right down to the dog nose and the air void, respectively? Yes, Kagome had a theory about how her twins had two different fathers…
Abruptly, Kagome came upon the small village, busy as ever. The streets were full of people, hurrying this way or that, pausing to browse at little shops, or slowly making their way to some unknown destination.
Here, Kagome took another deep breath and breached the point of no return. She put on a big smile and stepped out of the forest.
Immediately, she was spotted by a group of familiar villagers who whispered among themselves in wonder and gaped at what she was holding.
"Is that Kagome-sama? What is she carrying? Are those her children in there?" they asked each other while smiling and greeting her cheerfully as she passed through the streets to Kaede's home.
Kagome grinned and waved back politely, but she could hear the undercurrent of gossip, could see the wide eyes and astonished faces. She knew her absence would generate quite a bit of puzzlement, and her return would precipitate even more speculation, but she wasn't quite prepared for this. People with whom she had worked, people whose lives she had saved, they were all staring at her in scrutiny.
Upon reaching the abode of her old friend, Kaede, Kagome paused again before knocking lightly on the door.
"K-Kaede? It's me, Kagome. I came back…"
But when the door was swung open, it was not Kaede standing there. Instead, Kagome was greeted by a young woman in her mid-twenties, with long, black hair tied back in a red ribbon. She wore red and white robes identical to those of Kaede and Kikyo and was on the short side; Kagome stood a full six inches taller.
"Can I help you?" she asked, studying Kagome's strange clothes with curious brown eyes.
"Uh… Isn't this Kaede's house?" Kagome stuttered.
"Kaede? Oh! I knew it! You're Kagome, aren't you?" the woman exclaimed, smiling merrily.
"Yes, I am, but how did you—"
"I've heard so much about you! But I just moved here six months ago, so you wouldn't know me. Come in, please" she said, ushering Kagome inside.
Hesitantly, Kagome entered the memorable house and noticed that it looked exactly the same as she remembered it—only with a new tenant, apparently.
"Would you like some tea? I can boil some water," the woman offered, retrieving her tea leaf supply.
"No, thanks," Kagome politely refused.
"I'm terribly sorry I don't have much to give you by way of food and drink. I don't live a very luxurious life…" she apologized.
"That's all right… Where's Kaede?" Kagome asked, suddenly remembering why she came.
The woman froze then turned to face Kagome.
"Oh… You mean you don't know?" she said softly.
"Know what?"
"Kaede's dead… She passed away about seven months ago, a little before I came here. Actually, I'm something of her replacement. Now I'm the village miko," the woman explained gently.
"Kaede is… dead?"
Kagome felt her strength drain from her body. If Kaede was gone, and Kagome was back in her own time, what was there left to keep Miroku, Shippo, Sango, and Inu-Yasha here?
"What about Miroku? Sango? Shippo? Inu-Yasha?" she demanded urgently, grabbing the miko's robe with her free hand.
"Calm yourself, Kagome-sama! I know nothing of the people you mentioned. Like I said, I only came here six months ago," the woman soother, trying to pry Kagome's iron grip off her robes.
Kagome's hand went limp. She fell back against a nearby wall and slid down to a sitting position, placing her baby carrier next to her feet.
"You don't know anything about Inu-Yasha?" she repeated absently.
"Only the stories the villagers told me. And not many at that," the woman replied, seating herself on the floor across from Kagome.
'Kaede's dead,' Kagome thought. 'Everyone else has gone off to who- knows-where. Inu-Yasha has disappeared. Will my children ever get to meet their fathers? Will I never get to tell Inu-Yasha how I feel?'
