Disclaimer: Takahashi Rumiko owns Inuyasha.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN - A NEW START
"KAGOME! INUYASHAAA!"
The shrill voice could cut through bones and Kagome steeled herself for the expected impact from a small furry body, but it never came. Confused, Kagome searched for Shippou's lithe form and found him standing outside Kaede's hut, waving. Instantly happy to see him, Kagome raised her hand and waved back.
"SHIPPOU!"
Lower, she asked Inuyasha: "Why isn't he running to meet us?"
Inuyasha jerked. To be honest, he had no idea. He too, had wondered about the absence of the kitsune. But before he could enlighten Kagome about his unawareness, Miroku interrupted.
"Shippou have been injured, Kagome-sama, and has still not fully recovered. He will soon be back to his old self, but he still needs to rest."
"Injured?" Both Inuyasha and Kagome burst out, and Kagome turned confused to Inuyasha.
"You didn't know?"
Once again, Miroku stepped in to save face.
"It was during the same fight that put Inuyasha here in this state. He was yokai most of the time and haven't really... been himself for a while. So he could not have known."
Kagome frowned.
"How long ago was this fight?"
Miroku hesitated. If he told Kagome the actual time, she'd berate herself to no end for not being here. But still...
...hiding the truth and being unclear was what had brought them all to this situation to begin with.
"Three or four days ago, I think. We've been kind of sleep-deprived, so it's hard to remember."
Kagome took this in without revealing her thoughts.
/Three or four days. Things could have been different if I was here. But I wasn't so there's no point thinking like that. More importantly: three or four days, and Shippou who is full yokai have not healed yet. He must have been on the brink of death.../
"It was Naraku."
Sango came up on Kagome's other side, Kirara in tow.
"Had it not been for my armor, I would have been killed. With you gone, Kagome, he no longer played with us. He was out to kill us all, Kikyo-sama too."
"Kikyo?"
Kagome turned to Inuyasha.
"She was with you?"
Inuyasha sneered. "She tried. Didn't do much good."
"Don't say too much, Inuyasha!" Miroku warned. "A lot happened after you got deadly injured. We owe Kikyo-sama our thanks... and I believe she is in need of our help this very instant."
Inuyasha sharply turned to Miroku.
"She's injured? What do you know?"
Sango and Miroku felt alarmed when they saw Kagome bite her lip and frown, thinking she once again would misunderstand Inuyasha's urgency to know about Kikyo. Little did they know about how Kagome's soul had matured from a lovecraving stubborn teenagers into a warriors. She now knew that whatever she wanted to happen, she had to do it. And in the big picture, Inuyasha's lingering feelings for Kikyo was but a small detail. Unimportant until later on.
Shippou had begun to walk towards them, as fast as his condition allowed him. Kagome called to him, telling him to just wait. Soon, they would all be gathered inside and then the situation would be sorted out, once and for all.
/And a battle plan formed. This time, I'll bring that pain-giver down!/
...
"Congratulations. It's a healthy baby boy!" Kikyo informed the exhausted mother. It had been a long childbirth, but nothing out of the ordinary.
To help deliver babies was also a miko's work, despite them never having their own. The only exception was if a miko lost her powers, and that was...
/Never to happen./
Kikyo loved children. She loved how defenses they were as newborn, how strong they so quickly became in a year, how curious and clever they were. And in each and every one of them, Kikyo could see rays of hope for the future. The village would live on. The peace would be defended. New children would grow up, the same hope residing within them.
But not so for her. A miko was for the whole village, for the whole world to share. She could not allow herself to be tied down with family. A lover, perhaps, but not a child.
And yet, Kikyo wanted a child. Wanted a husband. Wanted someone to really know her, wanted a family of her own to make sure she never again would be lonely.
It was very human of her to wish so, and it was also very forbidden. Kikyo herself did never ever let these thoughts out - not until she met an existence of kindred spirits. One who was as lonely, or ever lonelier, than her.
Inuyasha.
They never talked about children. But it was quite obvious that they, after the transformation, would live as a regular couple in the village. Toil the earth. Produce children. In one single wish, Kikyo would get her very longed husband and also her eagerly awaited family. She would get her own child.
But she got death.
...
A child's heart is strong. It can endure a lot. But it's not fully grown. A heart grows with it's owner, grows along with the body. It is not suited for any other bodysize than its own or one similar. It can definitely not be used by a grown-up, not for long. Kikyo knew this. She felt it.
/Please, a little more!/ Kikyo thought. And then she couldn't allow herself to think anymore, lest she'd be caught by the nasty thoughts again.
How long had she been running before her heart strained and forced her to slow down? Kikyo didn't know. She could not sense Naraku anymore, but in this tired state, she couldn't be sure just because of that. Her body longed to rest, but rest would also lead to entrapment inside her own mind. All Kikyo could do was to force herself to move forward, move forward, until she collapsed or died. Death was to prefer, since a collapse would only lead to her being caught inside the sickness Naraku had filled her with. Kikyo knew that, but her body said otherwise.
Mind and soul can want to die. A body can't. Not even a heart forced to work way too hard for such a small one can give up. Not until it's completely and utterly ruined, and then it stops forever. But it does never want to die.
Unable to think, unable to sweep the sweat from her brows, unable to allow herself to be anything but a doll, Kikyo pushed on, hoping without hoping that she was headed towards her old home.
...
The mixtures of souls bound to be trapped inside the Shikon no Tama kept its distance to the fleeing figure. It was impassive, though some part of it wanted to give chase and kill while another wanted to give chase and force. But that was just details in the big picture. Given time and possibility, both these desires would be seen to. What the main will wanted, it didn't know.
...