Chapter 25

The Rescue party

"Kagome,"

She groaned, her eyes slowly opening to the piercing brightness of the morning. "Kagome," Inuyasha pressed eagerly.

"W-what...?" Groggily, she pushed herself up onto her elbows and let her eyes refocus and get used to the light.

"Can you sit up all right?"

"Mmm," She scooted back on the mattress to lean against the wall. "My legs feel funny,"

"Kagome, do you remember what happened last night?"

"What?"

"Do you remember last night?"

"A...little..." She rubbed her face, yawning, realizing that Inuyasha was holding something in his arms. Something small...something that was moving like a...like a baby. "Inuyasha...?" Her eyes went wide as she suddenly remembered. "Oh...!" Lit up brightly by the happy realization that she'd given birth to their pup last night, she smiled at her mate. "Our pup!"

"He's hungry, Kagome,"

"Oh,"

"I wasn't going to wake you but he's starting to squirm a lot..." Kagome smiled and reached for her son. Inuyasha was careful as he placed the fire rat robe wrapped infant into her arms and watched as Kagome tended to the feeding of him. His fingers reached out to stroke the baby's black hair as he fed, grinning at the little white ears atop his hanyou pup's head.

"He looks just like you,"

"Look at his eyes, Kagome,"

She looked back down at her son, stunned into silence at the sight of the bright brown orbs that stared back up at her as he fed. "They're brown..."

Inuyasha smiled, sliding closer to his mate and pup, his arms encircling both of them. "Inuharu," He suddenly murmured, staring at his son.

Kagome smiled, nodding her approval. "It suits him,"

"You promised that we'd have a pup in the spring, Kagome, and you were right," Inuyasha kissed her briefly, allowing himself a few more minutes to admire his new family before he gathered Inuharu back up and gently settled him into the cloak of the fire rat, tying it around his neck so that Inuharu was now nestled in a makeshift sling over his father's shoulders. "We can't stay here, Kagome. If we don't get back to the Hall before nightfall we might be in serious trouble,"

She nodded as he extended his hands to help her up and groaned the second she was on her feet. "Oh that hurts..."

"Get on my back,"

"My legs feel funny, Inuyasha,"

"You just gave birth, Kagome, of course they feel weird. Now, hurry," She wrapped her arms around his neck as he hefted her onto his back and smiled down at their son as Inuyasha poked his head outside of the hut, double checking the area around them to make sure that no unwanted strangers were around them. After that was done, he sprinted off into the trees towards the Hall. An hour later he skidded to a halt, sniffing the air in surprise.

"What is it?" Kagome asked, growing nervous.

"That scent...It's Lucivar! He's nearby!" Inuyasha leapt off in the direction of the Warlord Prince, soon catching the scents of Sango, Miroku, and Shippo as well. "Looks like they sent us a rescue party. Miroku!"

The monk whirled around to face the hanyou, relief washing over his face at the sight of Kagome on his back. "You found her! GUYS! OVER HERE!"

A few seconds later the others joined the group. Inuyasha let Kagome off of his back and steadied her by wrapping his arms around her. She was weak because of the birth and the lack of food and water, but she was going to be fine, more so now because they'd been found by their friends. She smiled at her mate and was warmed by the hug Sango gave her.

"You're alright!" Sango stepped back as Inuharu decided that he was hungry again. "You had the baby!"

"Last night..." Kagome murmured, smiling at Inuyasha as he distracted his son for a moment, pride shining in his eyes.

"He's hungry again," He lifted the sling from around his neck and placed it around Kagome's, lifting her into his arms so that she could feed their son and not have to worry about losing balance.

"So you got a son after all," Miroku mused, clapping Inuyasha on the back.

"Let's go," Lucivar said flatly. "The sooner we get back to the Hall, the better. Daemon won't stop pacing if we don't bring Kagome back and show him that she's fine. He's been riding the killing edge since she was kidnaped and even Jaenelle isn't doing much to calm him down."

"Then let's go," Kagome said as she readjusted her shirt for her son. "I don't want him to lose control because of me,"

Inuyasha made sure she was comfortable before he let Lucivar lead them back to the landing web that would allow them to ride the winds back to the hall. Lucivar shielded them all and then shielded the coach before they were riding the winds.

"How was it?" Sango asked as she sat next to the Hanyou and his family.

"All I can remember of it was the pain," Kagome admitted, stroking her son's black hair.

"It's amazing, his hair is black," Miroku mused. "But he still has your white ears, Inuyasha,"

"You state the obvious a lot," Inuyasha snapped, his gaze shifting from those in the coach to his son. Kagome let out a sigh and leaned against Inuyasha's side, her exhaustion becoming more and more apparent with each passing moment. She needed food and water.

"Here," Lucivar knelt down in front of her, shoving a glass of water into her free hand. Shakily, she lifted it to her lips and downed the entire glass, feeling more refreshed than ever. "More?" Lucivar refilled the glass and coaxed her into drinking it, aware of the assessing look he was getting from the Hanyou a foot from him. "There, that's better,"

"Thank you," Kagome whispered, her throat no longer parched. "How far are we from the Hall?"

"It shouldn't take but a few hours to get there," Lucivar rose, looking towards Sango and Miroku. "I'll see about getting some food," He moved to the back of the coach and into the small room that belonged to him and searched the cabinets for the food that he always had stocked there.

"Can I hold him?" Sango asked, seeing Kagome's need to rest.

"Mmhm..." Kagome allowed the woman to cuddle Inuharu and felt Inuyasha pulling her into his lap. She snuggled, her eyes becoming heavy.

"Rest, Kagome," Inuyasha urged, his arms coming around her. "Rest,"

Daemon was pacing out in the garden, still riding the Killing Edge, and every movement he caught made him more furious. Except Jaenelle, who waited patiently on the bench behind him, providing a solid wall of understanding. Until Inuyasha brought Kagome back, Daemon wouldn't be able to rest.

"It's my fault," He snarled as he passed Jaenelle for about the millionth time. "I should have thrown a shield around her. I should have shattered that son of a whoring bitches mind! But I was literally stunned by her sudden appearance. That shouldn't have thrown me. Damnit! I practically handed her to them!"

"Daemon, Kagome realized that it was you that they were after and not me and she reacted on it. Had I figured that out I would have done the same thing. You would have reacted the same way. I've already explained this to you,"

"You don't know that!"

"Yes I do," Jaenelle sighed heavily, raking a hand through her golden hair. "Daemon, this isn't your fault, all right? Kagome will be ok, besides, Inuyasha's on the prowl and with Kagome and his pup in potential danger, I don't think we have anything to worry about." She studied him as he continued pacing, slowly backing away from the edge. "She's pregnant, Daemon. Using her Miko powers would force her into labor, and I don't think Naraku or Hakuuyo want that. If that happens, they lose their chance at getting to her power. And if she decides to use that power against them to get them away from her long enough for Inuyasha to find her and bring her back here, then so be it. That will be her way of protecting herself. But you saw how strong she is, how good she's become because of Lucivar's training. That coupled with that power of hers will keep her safe. She'll be ok,"

Daemon stopped pacing, took a deep breath and finally looked to his wife. She smiled gently, patting the empty spot next to her on the bench, watching as he came to sit next to her.

"This isn't your fault,"

"Someone has to take responsibility for what happened,"

"Then let it be Naraku and Hakuuyo. The debt will be paid in full, Daemon, I can promise you that,"

He looked to his wife, fear building in the pit of his stomach. "Jaenelle, sweetheart, please, tell me that this isn't as bad as the taint of the Blood. Tell me that whatever you do, the backlash of it won't have the same effect that it had the last time. Promise me that I'm not going to lose you."

She smiled gently, wrapping her arms around his waist. "You're not going to lose me, Daemon. I promise. Whatever has to be done to defeat Naraku and Hakuuyo will be done with little to no sacrifice at all if Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha work together. Their power coupled with...with mine and with the rest of the First Circle will be sufficient and efficient enough to stop them and destroy them. Kaeleer is our home, and I'm it's Heart. I will not, under any circumstances, allow Kaeleer to go through another war."

His arms came around her and he buried his face in her hair, breathing deeply the scent of her shampoo. That's when they both felt it; a light brush on their inner barriers and then, out of nowhere;

Bastard,

Lucivar? Did you-

They're fine, all three of them. Where are you? We're leaving the landing web now,

We'll meet you in the main hall! Daemon grabbed Jaenelle, heaved her into his arms and headed out of the garden. Jaenelle patted his head, grinning. "I told you they would be all right,"

"I'll believe it when I see it," Daemon said weakly, setting her back down on her feet as they reached the main hallway seconds before Beale opened the front doors. Relief washed through him when the others stepped inside, followed by fear when he saw the way Kagome was curled in Inuyasha's arms.

"She just needs rest," Inuyasha murmured as he came up to them. "She's been through hell and back again. She just needs rest,"

Daemon nodded, breathing deeply for a moment as he stared at the sleeping pup cradled in Kagome's arms.

As he passed by to take his mate to their room to rest, Inuyasha pressed his hand to Daemon's shoulder. "You both reacted naturally. Kagome did what her instincts told her to do, and you reacted the same way you would have reacted if it had been Jaenelle that had leapt in front of you. I know because I've done the same thing. She doesn't blame you, none of us do. And in any case, she didn't get hurt. The only pain she felt happened when she gave birth. She's fine, Daemon. She just needs rest,"

"Thank you," Jaenelle's arms came around his waist and she looked up at Lucivar.

Did you get the answers I asked for?

Yes, Lucivar looked at his brother and gave him a lazy, arrogant smile. Yes, Jaenelle. I got the answers. But I don't know how many of them you're going to like, or how many of them are going to make you cry,

Then save it until everyone has rested and Daemon can sit with Kagome and be reassured.

Inuyasha studied Daemon carefully as he came out of the room and stepped aside. "She's asleep, but I don't think she'd mind if you sat with her,"

"Did they hurt her?"

"No," Inuyasha snarled. "Lucky them,"

Daemon nodded shakily, still wary of the hanyou's temper.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Daemon," Inuyasha turned and left the corridor, intending to join Jaenelle, Lucivar, and Saetan in the study to speak with them. Daemon waited a moment before he stepped into the room and settled into a chair beside the bed. Kagome was sound asleep and looked relatively peaceful. For a moment he just watched her sleep, but he turned his attention towards Inuharu who was nestled in a crib at the foot of the bed. He was asleep as well, but he doubted that would last very long. Daemon moved to gaze upon him and chuckled at the dog ears twitching atop the pup's head as he dreamed.

"You'd think a pup would be laughable coming from a human mother, but I suppose there are things in life that surprise us all, aren't there?" Inuharu's eyes slowly opened and the brown orbs focused on him for a moment before they closed again. "Your eyes are brown..." The smile returned as he resettled himself into the chair again. They were ok. Both of them were going to be just fine and he could finally relax a little.

break

"Well?"

"Daemon's sitting with her," Inuyasha looked from Jaenelle to Sesshoumaru and wearily plopped onto the couch beside Lucivar. "What do you have planned?"

Jaenelle looked a little pale to him, more so than he'd ever seen her look before. Was she sick? Or was she just...sad?

"I don't know," She rubbed her face, shaking her head. "From what I gathered and the information that Lucivar retrieved for me...it's going to take a massive amount of power to destroy Hakuuyo. And by massive...I mean massive. And it has to be dark power, as dark as possible."

Saetan studied her intensely. She was what she had wanted to be, but would she have to give that up in order to save Kaeleer again? Would she have to sever the line in the web that the Weaver of Dreams wove in order to save her so that her Ebony strength would come back to her? So that she couldn't do basic craft? So that she'd have to go back to being the Queen of Darkness? She didn't want that, but what other choice did they have?

"The web itself is going to take a lot to create. A month, perhaps two to create it." Jaenelle sat back and shook her head. "I don't know enough about this yet to know what we're going to do. I need...I need to talk to Lorn," She rose from the couch and slipped out of the study, leaning back against the door after she had closed it. So much power...she had never wanted it and she still didn't, but what choice did she have?

"What about Kagome and Daemon?" Inuyasha asked as he looked to Saetan. "They're not safe here,"

Silence settled throughout the room before Saetan finally spoke, "We send them to the one place where they will be safe," He looked to Inuyasha. "We send them to her era."

"The breach is a month or so away still. We may not have that much time,"

"I'll see what I can do," Saetan looked towards the window and sighed heavily. "I'll be in the Library. I want to see if I can find anything about this barrier that might help in fixing it. Perhaps I might even find a way to keep it open for us," He left the study then as well, leaving Inuyasha, Lucivar and Sesshoumaru to think about what they were going to do.

"They won't go," Inuyasha murmured, shaking his head. "Kagome will sit me before we even get to the breach,"

"Daemon will anchor himself to anything to keep from going," Lucivar snarled. "If they won't go willingly..."

"We'll have to give them a little push, won't we?" Inuyasha stared into the fire. "Kagome will be pissed,"

"Daemon will be riding the Killing Edge,"

"And when this is all said and done, we're all going to be in deep shit," Inuyasha muttered. "They're going to be so pissed that when we go back to get them..." He swallowed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Kagome bites..."

Lucivar roared with laughter and shook his head, unable to look at the hanyou with a straight face. "So does Marian,"

"Yes, but you're not shoving Marian through a barrier that she can't get back through for another six months," Inuyasha grimaced, shuddering. Could he really bare to be separated from Kagome and his newborn pup for six months? Saetan, I hope you figure something out about this damned barrier...

"Here, kitty kitty kitty," Surreal muttered as she turned in a small circle, smiling the entire way. He couldn't sense the presence of Kaelas and Graysfang. He was already so weak that he could barely sense her even though he could plainly see her. "Come out here, Naraku. There's no point in hiding anymore. That spell will weaken you to the point of being paralyzed but you won't die until I get to you and finish the kill myself so you might as well come out instead of prolonging your death. Not that I mind you suffering for hours at a time." She stopped circling, smiling brightly. "Now now, Naraku, come out and play?"

He's in the brush. Kaelas was close to him and it made her smile.

I see him. Graysfang?

He won't get away.

He's surrounded. Surreal allowed a smirk to play upon her lips as she walked in the direction of Naraku's paralyzed form. "Ah, darling, what's the matter? You look so helpless,"

"You bitch! What did you do to me?"

"Oh nothing much," Surreal shrugged, smiling pleasantly. "Just a little gift for all the times you've used me. Naraku, really, did you actually think that your control on me would never slip? I'm a very sensitive woman and I notice those small differences. Besides," She moaned pleasantly. "I do so love feeling the power of my Gray jewels coursing through my body."

Wheezing, Naraku glared at her, feeling his blood cooling, his heart slowing. She'd found it. The stupid bitch had found his heart! "How did..."

"It was terribly easy," Surreal just smiled down at him. "Come on now, Naraku. After being so intimate with each other I thought that you would have realized how easy it was for me to find your heart. After all, a brush against your inner barriers at the moment of climax when you're so lost amongst the stars that you can't feel anything else..."

"Bitch!"

"Yes, yes, I know," She chuckled, grinning wildly. "But I was a good screw, wasn't I? I kept you amused for months. But the time to amuse you and warm your bed has come and gone, so now I'm going to finish what I started two nights ago. You made me do things I didn't want to do. Things I never would have done no matter what. But I wasn't the only one you wronged..."

Kaelas and Graysfang dropped their sight shields and she smiled warmly at the sight of Naraku shuddering.

"You can't!"

"Oh, but I am," Surreal glanced at the two kindred and her smile faded, her gray-green eyes hardened. "I'll never forget you, Naraku. Nor shall I ever be rid of you completely, but you will die tonight and I will never have to feel the pain you inflicted on my soul ever again. I'm free of you."

He glared, breathing becoming extremely difficult.

"If I felt that it was necessary, I'd leave you with enough strength to make the transition to demon-dead so that you'd have to put up with Uncle Saetan in Hell, but I think this will be sufficient to pay the debt that you owe to me and my family. Inuyasha will be pleased, I think,"

He couldn't curse her now, he no longer had the strength.

"Enjoy your death, Naraku." He had merely a few seconds to gaze at her before Kaelas and Graysfang advanced. His shrill cries of despair and pain sent shivers of pleasure down Surreal's spine. The debt was paid in full.

Daemon reached the crib before Kagome stirred and lifted the squirming, crying pup into his arms.

"Mmm," Kagome yawned deeply, stretching, and pushing herself upright to lean back against the headboard.

"I think he's hungry,"

"I don't doubt it," Kagome smiled gently as Daemon placed her pup in her arms. "How long have I been asleep?"

"A few hours," Daemon sat back down in the chair and watched the interaction between mother and child. "Kagome, I'm sorry,"

"What on Earth for?" She stared at him, confused, and then smiled softly. "Daemon, do I need to hit you or something? I was the stupid one, it's all right. Besides, I did my job and look at this beautiful pup in my arms. We're fine, both of us."

"I could have kept them from taking you if I had just-"

"And then where would we be, Daemon? Getting captured was a good thing,"

"I fail to see how..."

"Hakuuyo is on his own now. Naraku is gone, or is most likely on his way to being gone,"

"What do you mean?"

"Lucivar was right about Surreal's temper. She gets pissed when the men around her decide to screw with her life. She likes being used by men just as much as a cat likes water," Kagome glanced down at her son as he fed and ran her fingers along his chubby cheeks. "Naraku...couldn't be killed by anyone until they found his heart. Well...Surreal found his heart."

Daemon took a deep breath, let it out slowly. "So Naraku is out of the picture?"

"Pretty much," She smiled over at him. "And you are off the hook, Prince, because you didn't do anything wrong. Besides, I just went through about 15 hours of pain and cursing, so I don't want to hear you whine about how all of this is your fault."

"Are you...all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Kagome shook her head at him. "The labor was...interesting, but after my water broke...well everything went a bit smoother after that. And Inuyasha did wonderfully. And now we have a son to fawn over. Everything is fine,"

Daemon nodded, feeling the weight lifting off of his shoulders. There was a knock at the door only seconds before Jaenelle came into the room bearing a tray of food. "Mrs. Beale demanded that you eat something,"

"Thank the Darkness, I am famished!"

End of chapter. So is this not overdue or what? LOVE TO YOU ALL! giggle