Chapter 9

Sango and Miroku were pacing around waiting for Inuyasha and Kagome to come back. They both were sensing the presence that Ana and Inuyasha had picked up on. Tai and Kita had gone back to their home. Sano, Keigi, and Kikara were watching their parents in puzzlement.

"You know what this feels like, don't you?" Sango asked her husband.

"Of course, how could I forget it?" Miroku responded. "But it should be impossible. All his incarnations died with him."

"Then we should probably be very worried now." Sango responded.

Sano looked at his twin brother. "Keigi, do you have any idea what they are talking about?" Keigi shook his head and Kikara rolled her eyes.

"You two are dimwits. They said incarnations. Naraku was the one they fought with all the incarnations."

"Naraku's dead." Sano told her. "Mother tell Kikara that Naraku's dead."

Sango turned to look at her children. "I hope that he is, for all our sakes."

As she finished speaking, Inuyasha came through their door towing Kagome. "Do you sense it?" he demanded.

They nodded. "But it couldn't be him, right?" Miroku asked.

"I'm not sure, but it smells like him. Like him and like...her. I sent Ana to go protect Kita and Taisho. Whoever it is, will be here soon."

"Would some one please explain to me what's going on?" Kagome demanded.

Inuyasha took her hand. "Kagome there's some sort of demon coming and it smells just like Naraku-"

"But we killed him!"

Inuyasha put a finger on her lips. "It smells like Naraku and Kikyo." he finished.

The room fell silent then, contemplating the implications of Inuyasha's words. A gust of wind picked up and Inuyasha tensed. "It's here." he whispered.

They were expecting something big to happen, something in the style of Naraku. All they got was a polite knock on the door. They all exchanged glances and then Miroku went to open the door. Standing on the other side of the door was apparently what they were all worried about. He was a tall young man with masses of long black hair. His eyes were ruby red and the were narrowed at the people in the hut. On one of his tanned shoulders was the infamous spider shaped burn mark. "Good evening all." he said jovially.

"Who the hell are you?" Inuyasha demanded, pulling out the Tetsusaiga. "And why do you smell so much like Naraku and Kikyo?"

"I would think that those questions are answered by each other." The demon, or half demon replied. "I smell like Naraku and Kikyo is because I am their son. My name is Saito."

"Kikyo and Naraku never had a son." Inuyasha said in a flat deadly voice. "Kikyo gave her only children to me."

Saito sighed and shook his head. "So delusional. Yes, my mother gave her only living children to you, but she had me when she was still the walking dead."

"That's impossible." Miroku argued. "The dead cannot give life."

"Oh but they can monk. Or should I say, former monk? I am a testament to that. But convincing you of this is not why I have come."

"Then why are you here?" Kagome demanded.

"Ah, lovely Kagome. I bet if my mother had've known of your continued meddling she would have changed her request. That is why I am here. I was but three years old when you all killed my father. As you know, my mother's undead form was destroyed in the blast that took my father from me. She was only there because she wanted me to witness my father's last moments. His head was blasted into the forest where I was hiding..."

"Saito." the disembodied head whispered to the little boy. "Saito, listen to me." The boy crawled over to his father's head, trembling. "That half demon has just robbed you of both of your parents. One day, you must get revenge."

"Father, you're still alive though." Saito whimpered.

"No, it is over for me." Naraku's head countered. "Now it's up to you, my son." The head turned to dust just then and floated away on the wind.

"So you see, my father wanted me to kill you all. Kikyo had other plans however..."

Kikyo knew she was dying. Midoriko, her ancestress, had told her that she would not have that much time to live on the earth with her children and Inuyasha. That's why she decided not to get attached. She had gotten attached to Inuyasha the first time and it had led to her being consumed by her hatred. So much hatred that she had gone so far as to couple with someone that she despised, just to make sure that even if Inuyasha and his ragtag group of friends killed Naraku they would still have an enemy to face. The last thing she wanted was for her former love to be able to enjoy a Jewel free life when she had sacrificed everything she was for it.

Now she had lived her time and had but hours left to go, She waited until Inuyasha and her two children were sound asleep before making her way slowly and painfully into the forest where she knew her first child lived alone. Kikyo had done what she could to make sure that Saito was okay. She would tell Inuyasha that the food she had him fetch was for the villagers, and some of it was. But a portion always went to her son in the forest. The boy was eight now, much too young to be living alone, but there was no other choice.

Saito was sitting outside his hut, throwing a dagger into a tree and then using his strange powers to pull it out and back to himself. He looked up and smiled when he saw his mother heading towards him. His smile quickly disappeared when he saw that she was paler than ever and could barely stand up. He abandoned his dagger and rushed over to her. "Mother, are you alright?"

"No Saito, I am not." Kikyo answered. "I am dying my son. But there are things we must discuss before I leave this world for good."

The boy helped his mother into the hut and laid her down on his bed. "There has to be some way to save you Mother." he said.

Kikyo shook her head. "No. I chose this fate for myself out of my love for Inuyasha. I have had more time on this earth than I should have, so I will leave this world with no regrets if you will do something for me."

"Anything Mother."

"I know that your father wanted you to avenge his death and go after Inuyasha and his friends. All I ask is that you do not heed his request. Let Inuyasha be. He will have it hard enough trying to raise our two kids alone and confront his feelings for a girl who may or may not ever return to him. If he finds out about you, it will kill him."

"What if he tries to kill me?" Saito asked.

Kikyo shook her head and then coughed viciously. "He does not know you exist and he never needs to. Besides my son, the only way you can be killed is to be burned alive. Other than that, you can regenerate like your father, and you can take the souls of others like I did. But it will be much safer for you, and for Inuyasha if the two of you never meet."

"So I told her that I wouldn't kill you all." Saito shrugged. "What else could I do? I was young and she was dying. It was so bad that I had to help her back to your home. You and my half siblings must have been exhausted because you never even stirred. Although that could be just because I can be as silent as the dead."

"Looks like you've decided to ignore Kikyo's request then." Inuyasha snarled and hefted his sword.

The younger half demon rolled his eyes and flicked his fingers, sending the Tetsusaiga flying. "I haven't decided anything yet. Who should I be more loyal to? My father who only consented to having me to have an heir to kill you, or my mother who abandoned me to have another family? Decisions, decisions."

Inuyasha wrenched his sword out of the floor. "What if I make that decision for you?" he roared and charged towards Saito. He slashed wildly and severed the other half demon's arm. "Hah!" he shouted triumphantly.

"Do you just not listen?" Saito snapped. He closed his eyes and the arm that had fallen to the floor rose up and reattached itself to the shoulder. "I have all the regenerative powers that my father had. You'll need to try a new trick if we're to fight. I still haven't decided if we will yet. After all, it's not your fault that my parents only made me to fight you. There's no reason that we have to be bitter enemies."

"Well you're more logical than your parents it would seem." Kikara spoke up from her place on the floor.

Saito turned his crimson eyes onto the young woman. "Thank you." he accepted. "Well you are quite a lovely young woman. I bet all the idiotic village boys are after you, aren't they?"

Kikara giggled in spite of herself. "Yes, they are. Much to the chagrin of my father."

"Kikara!" Miroku snapped at his daughter as his sons narrowed their eyes and growled at Saito.

"Well Father this isn't getting anyone anywhere, and I can't help it if he's charming." Kikara retorted. "You're either going to fight him or you're not. So what's it going to be Uncle Inuyasha?"

"Kikara has a point Inuyasha." Kagome spoke up.

"Yes, you all have points I'm sure." Saito agreed. "In any case, I was not planning to fight any of you tonight. This was merely a scouting mission." He nodded to them and walked out the door as politely as he entered.

Inuyasha sheathed his sword and sighed. "I should have known that the peace would be short lived. Miroku, Sango watch yourselves. I'm going to take Kagome and go make sure the kids and Ana are okay." He took Kagome's hand and together they waled back to his home.

When they arrived, Kita was pacing in the front room. She launched herself at her father when she saw him. "Papa, you're okay!"

"Course I am." Inuyasha replied patting his daughter's back awkwardly. "It would take more than a little Naraku brat to kill me."

"So it's true then?" Taisho spoke up from the corner. "That guy is the son of Naraku and Mother?"

Inuyasha shot his sister a puzzled look. "He came here looking for you." Anaketsu told him. "He must have stopped here before going to Sango and Miroku's."

"I guess so." Inuyasha agreed. He quickly filled Ana, Taisho, and Kita in on what he had learned about Saito and what had occurred. "Kikyo betrayed me for one final time I suppose." He sighed and shook his head. All of this made him feel so old and weary. What more could he have dumped on him?

"I'm going to head out Inuyasha. I want to go tell Sesshomaru and Rin about this. I'll see you later." she flew out the door with a wave to her brother.

Inuyasha turned and looked into Kagome's eyes. They held a warmth and a degree of love that made him feel instantly better. "Hey you two, Kagome is going to be staying with us for a while. Don't get stupid."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I'll be staying here if it's okay with you two." she amended.

Taisho narrowed his eyes at her and stared for a moment. Then he shrugged. "'It's fine with me." He said finally and went to his section of the hut.

Kita grinned and hugged Kagome. "I'm glad you two are working this out." she said. "Stay here as long as you want. Stay here forever. That'll make Papa happy."

"Alright, alright. Go to bed, you." Inuyasha snapped at his daughter. She smirked at him and went off to her bedroll. Once the girl was tucked in, her father turned back to Kagome and whispered in her ear. "It would make me happy if you never left again."

Kagome smiled at him. "I'll see what I can do."