Giving Up
"Oh no! Oh no! Not now!" Sango screamed loudly and everyone stopped in their tracks.
"What is it? Are you okay dear?" Miroku asked frantically, helping Sango off of Kirara's back.
Kagome, Inuyasha and Shippou spun around to watch Sango. She held her stomach in her hands and tears were running down her face.
"Kagome, let's set up camp here. Sango needs to rest," Inuyasha told Kagome and she went to work. There were quite high up in the mountains now and there was a light dusting of snow on the ground. She built a fire and put out the bed rolls.
"It's too early! It's too early!" Sango cried as she laid down on the sleeping bags by the fire. She then remembered a conversation Kagome and her had had a day or so ago.
"When is the baby due?" Kagome asked tentatively.
Sango patted her round stomach lightly with her palm.
"The healer said he…or she rather, was due in 2 months, but babies are never on time, right?"
Kagome smiled weakly, "Right."
An hour and several panic attacks later, baby girl Cho was born.
She was pink and wrinkly, but screamed and wiggled just like a normal baby. She looked just like Minako when she was born but noisier.
"Thank goodness she's okay," Sango sighed, wrapping Cho up in a warm blanket.
"Yes," everyone agreed. They sat around for an hour more, making sure Cho was fed and warm then Inuyasha announced,
"Let's go everyone, we can't waste anymore time."
Kagome, Sango, Miroku and Shippo looked up in shock at Inuyasha. They couldn't leave now.
"Inuyasha, we can't continue like this. Cho might get hurt."
Inuyasha growled, "But what about Amaya! If we don't hurry, she might be dead!"
"Inuyasha…Amaya can defend herself, Cho can't," Kagome reasoned.
"Well I'm going and you can follow me or not," and with that, Inuyasha stomped off.
They all watched as he walked off into the forest without looking back at them.
They ended up following him in the end. The small group caught up with Inuyasha as he was leaping up the side of a sheer cliff.
"Wait for us!" Miroku called up and Inuyasha stopped and peered over the ledge.
"What about Cho?" he shouted with a sneer.
Sango held up the baby, wrapped up so snuggly only her tiny face was visible. She and Miroku sat on Kirara's back and Kagome sat on top of Shippo as they all flew up to meet the hanyou.
"I can't loose you again Inuyasha," Kagome wailed softly and grasped Inuyasha's robe.
"It's okay, it's okay Kagome, I'm here now."
Flying up above the cliffs, they walked on. Sango was still incredibly nervous about Cho, especially in the cold weather.
Their journey halted again when a large, ferocious demon stopped them in their steps.
"What do you want?" Inuyasha said.
"I don't have to tell you," the demon replied and lunged at the group. He pounded a fist into the ground and the force blew Sango (with Cho), Kagome and Shippo back to the edge of their cliff.
"No!" Miroku raced over to where Sango lay. She had blood trickling down her face and her wrist looked broken. Cho was screaming and she had small scrapes and cuts on her exposed, pink face from the flying debris.
Kagome staggered as she stood up and drew her bow,
"Sacred Arrow!"
Inuyasha drew his sword and called in unison,
"Windscar!"
The large demon staggered back at the blows and fell to his knees.
"Stop, stop! I'll tell you whatever you want, just don't kill me, please!"
"Yeah right," Inuyasha raised his sword for the final blow.
"Wait! Inuyasha, ask him about the Great Oracle!" Kagome suggested to her husband.
"Right. Well, tell us you brute, who is the Great Oracle?"
The demon, his eyes rolling with fear answered, "He's the greatest, wisest, oldest demon that ever lived. He is like a god among us. You are fools not to worship him!"
And with that the demon fainted. Inuyasha looked to Kagome and she somberly nodded. Inuyasha let out a battle cry and severed the demon's head.
The fight done, Inuyasha and Kagome rushed over to Sango, who was crying and clutching Cho.
Before Inuyasha could blurt, "I'm so sorry," Sango sobbed,
"I can't believe you made us continue. I'm such a fool for believing you."
"Don't say that Sango! I'm the one that wanted us to follow Inuyasha, it's my fault," Kagome noted quickly.
"No, Kagome you're wrong. I was the stupid one," Inuyasha interrupted and sat down on his haunches beside Sango. He softly stroked Cho's head, "I was the one that put her in danger."
"Don't touch her! Just leave us alone!" Sango stood up and weakly began to run away. Miroku looked and Inuyasha and frowned, following his wife as they mounted Kirara and flew off.
Kagome watched as her friend's flew off and cried harder than she could last remember crying. Shippo, who was also mad at Inuyasha, slowly waved goodbye to Kagome and used his fox magic to fly off back to his home.
They were all alone.
"I give up," Inuyasha relented and fell to his knees as Kagome put her arms around him.
Translation Note: Cho means butterfly in Japanese.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading, and I apologize if I angered you with this chapter. I just needed to stir things up a little before the chapter intermission.