Disclaimer- I do not own the manga/ Anime series known as Inuyasha.
Chapter 10: Moving On to Higher Fields
"Someone has been stealing the souls of the dead women," said Miroku quietly. "It appears that the soul of the village elder's daughter already has been taken."
Inuyasha didn't say anything for a minute. Then he intoned as quietly as he could, "do you think it could be Kikyo?"
"It is possible," said Miroku rolling up the scroll. "In any event, we should investigate."
Inuyasha looked over at his family and said the unexpected. "In the morning. I don't want to leave them unprotected." Miroku smiled an all-knowing smile. Across the room, Kagome lifted an arm and let Aijo crawl across the floor to his father. He was already very strong.
They all woke uneasily the next day. A thick fog had rolled in and the whine of soul collectors streaming through the air could be heard. When the soul collectors disappeared, so did the fog.
Inuyasha stood up with lines of worry on his face. He slid his sword and scabbard into his belt. "Coming Kagome," he asked quietly. The mother of his son shook her head yes.
Inuyasha waited until Aijo was safely strapped into his harness before lifting him and his mother onto his back. He paused at the doorway momentarily. He knew already this might be one of the hardest meetings of his life.
They all made their way to the small shrine the soul collectors were guarding. A barrier was stretched around it. "Kagome?" murmured Inuyasha softly. She shook her head with understanding and leaned forward. The barrier eroded away at the touch of her hand. Sango and Miroku kept back a pace while Inuyasha and Kagome led. They all felt somehow that this was a day for resolution.
They reached the temple steps. Suddenly a figure appeared out of the mists. It was Kikyo. Her servants swirled about her as usual.
"Inuyasha," she breathed. Only this time it was different. After a moment, she also added, "Kagome."
Kagome panicked in her confusion. She felt worse when Inuyasha shifted beneath her uneasily. Why was it always like this? As if it was a dirty little secret that they were together? Kikyo had died ages ago. She should have no claim on him. After all, he had chosen herself over going to hell with Kikyo.
"Kikyo," began Inuyasha uncertainly. Kagome's heart sunk, but then hope swelled within it as Inuyasha taughtened beneath her with resolution. His next words were spoken almost with pride.
"Things can no longer be the same Kikyo.. Kagome and I will do all that we can to help you. We both know that I failed you," he looked away in shame but continued on steadily," but I can no longer chase on trying to make amends for that failure. I have a family that needs me. There was once a time I would have given my life to save your soul. It is no longer mine to give." He looked away with some guilt remaining.
"I understand," said Kikyo flatly. Her tone was eerie in its sense of resignation. She took a few steps down the stairs, descending towards Kagome and little Aijo. Inuyasha tensed with suspicion. Kikyo swayed to a stop speaking to Kagome.
"I held on," said Kikyo. "I had no idea what for. I knew I had lost him to you, that I no longer belonged on this earth. I found nothing but pain and sadness in this rebirth. Yet, I continued on for some purpose I could not understand. But now I know."
Kikyo looked deeply at the face of the child in Kagome's arms. Her own face was etched with so much pain Kagome thought she might have broken into tears.
"So this is what my son might have looked like if I had lived. May I... Hold him?" she asked uncertainly.
Kagome's fearful mothering instinct was strong, but at this moment the link between Kikyo's soul and her own was even stronger. It felt as if the soul of the long-dead miko had retied itself with hers. She could feel Kikyo's pain and longing. She shocked Inuyasha and herself by handing Aijo to the woman. "Here," she said softly. "Be careful."
Kikyo cradled the infant as if it were the most precious thing in the world. She rocked him gently by her heart and tears pooled. She quickly handed the child back to Kagome.
"Thank you," she said voice breaking. "Take care of him. Inuyasha," she said turning to the hanyou, "forgive me." Tears streaked down her face and a glowing web of cracks spread along her body.
"Wait, where are you going?" shouted Inuyasha in panic.
"Home," Kikyo replied. She smiled and closed her eyes to break into a thousand pieces of pottery clay. The clay swirled up in the air, turning into dust. A whirlwind descended to the ground. It left behind a neat little pile of Kikyo's funery ashes. A blue orb condensed out of the air above them and bled into Kagome. Kagome laid a hand over her heart. "I won't forget," said she.
"First time huh?" said Kagome turning to look at Inuyasha. He looked flustered.
"I was telling the truth okay? It was not like I didn't offer, she just wanted to wait for her wedding day because I was still a half-demon. She's just wishing she had taken my offer. Kikyo was like that, always playing with children and saying how she would like to have one of her own. She was getting old for a single woman you know." He looked away with his ears pinned back.
"Hm," said Kagome looking at him with her eyes squinted in suspicion. In the end, she decided it didn't matter. He was hers now.
Inuyasha and Kagome swept the pile of ashes into a jar and carried them back to Kaede for burial. The old priestess was very glad to have her sister's remains back at last. The villagers built a new marker for her tomb, and Kagome and Inuyasha both laid flowers on her grave.
"She lives on you know," said Kagome laying a hand over her heart. "I can feel her here, asleep at last. Rest well Kikyo," she added. Inuyasha nodded. Aijo reached out a hand and pulled Kagome's hair to remind her he needed feeding.
"Ow!" said Kagome irritably. "Will you tell your son to stop tormenting me?" she jested. They walked back down to village where they could relax..
They enjoyed a quiet evening together. In the early morning however, Kaede's hut was approached by a young village woman. "Please," the woman pleaded. "Priestess Kaede, my sister has gone into childbirth." The old woman nodded and called to Kagome.
"Kagome, as a priestess and a woman with your own child, surely ye can assist me?" Kagome nodded her head.
"You mean help to midwife?" Kagome asked Kaede.
"Yea priestess," Kaede said. Kagome stopped. She realized now that she would never more hear the words, "yea child," directed toward her. She was on a different level now. She could feel it in the gaze of the village woman seated across from her. It was as if she had entered some sort of knit, the society of mothers. It was as if everyone now acknowledged her as mature, whether or not that was true.
So Kagome got up and went to the door with Kaede. Kaede and the villager ducked out, but just as she was about to follow Inuyasha caught her wrist.
"You and Aijo be careful, all right," he told her. He pulled her closer so he could steal a kiss.
"We will," said Kagome rubbing her bangs against his forehead in reciprocal affection. She sat there a moment before adding, "Uh, Inuyasha, let me go."
"Right," said Inuyasha loosening his hold on her waist. He watched her disappear anxiously. "Come back quickly," he called.
If Inuyasha had been edgy and impatient about Kagome being absent from his side when he was only a boyfriend, it was nothing compared to now. Sango and Miroku found him impossible to control. He paced, he ranted, he ate everything in the house. Finally, he resorted to chewing into pieces the sparse furniture. Sango and Miroku let him after endlessly yelling at him for raking his claws against the floor and walls. They really didn't feel like rebuilding Kaede's hut.
When Inuyasha had run out of storage containers to chew on, Miroku and Sango threw him out of the hut. "Fine," they said.. "Go spy on Kagome. We won't stop you anymore." Earlier they had encouraged the hanyou to be patient but they were worn thin.
Inuyasha bounded off into the sky now turning red streaked with yellow. In less than half a minute he landed outside the hut where Kagome, Aijo, and Kaede were. Kagome looked out the window at the loud thunk. She wiped her hands off on a towel and stood up. She picked up Aijo and walked outside.
"Hey," she said sitting down next to Inuyasha holding Aijo on her lap. "What are you doing here?"
"Picking you up," he said impatiently. Kagome nodded.
"It's over now. The baby is a heathy one. A girl." Kagome smiled. "I kind of would like a girl myself. But I'm glad Aijo is a boy." Inuyasha didn't say anything and she wondered what he was thinking. They both got up and began to walk down the road. Aijo cooed and giggled from his carrier.
It was a quiet evening. The villagers had already returned from their fields. For a long time, Kagome and Inuyasha both walked along beside each other wrapped in their individual thoughts. Then Kagome broke the silence. "It's strange," said Kagome. "A funeral one day and a birth the next."
"Life is like that I suppose," murmured Inuyasha before relapsing into silence. Kagome looked at him curiously a few minutes before pulling a pink plastic container from her pocket. She snapped it open and deliberately counted out loud.
"One, two, three," she went on. "Yup. I've kept up. How about we ask Miroku and Sango to babysit tonight? All we need is a few hours."
Inuyasha stepped up beside her and caught her wrist. "You know, you're more attractive now that we have Aijo," Inuyasha whispered in her ear flecking it with the tip of his tongue. "I think I'm going to need more than a few hours." Kagome blushed. She got her revenge when Aijo reached out and pulled Inuyasha's hair. "Yow!" he complained.
Wherever they went, Inuyasha and Kagome always managed to find enemies. They quickly established a fighting order. Kagome would run to the rear with Aijo and her arrows out. Sango and Miroku would stand protectively in front of her while Inuyasha took most of the offensive. At times, Sango and Miroku would join in or Inuyasha would switch places with Kagome. Sango would fly back with Kilala to pick her up while Inuyasha would pout about having to hold Aijo.
One would expect their fighting to be weakened because of this great vulnerability. However, much to the contrary everyone in the party suddenly fought all the harder. Overnight, Kagome managed to get her miko powers under control. She could now blast most of her opponents away in one flawless shot. She could put up barriers at will. She even found out she could do little seemingly senseless spells such as making all the flowers all face one way or causing things to grow. Perhaps she was benefiting from Kikyo's training. For Inuyasha's part, just as his powers increased when he had Kagome to protect, his powers tripled when he had a whole family to look after. The amount of energy he was able to draw into his sword was incredible. Kagome fretted about all the hills that disappeared from his unnatural disasters when he unleashed the windscar.
Even little Shippo was stronger. Since he too sensed he had more duty to protect, he channeled energy into developing as a warrior. Soon his little flame of fox-fire grew into an spire of twisting flames ready to be unleashed at his command. At his insistence, they all promised to think of a new weapon for the little kitsune. They were all having a difficult time with ideas when they stumbled across one accidentally.