Chapter 37: Decisions, Decisions…
Story by Aero Tendo(Feudal Era)
(Within the Guardian's mountain)
Midoro walks down the hallway and sees the guards outside the room Negi is in, but given her mood, she didn't want to even acknowledge that the guards were there. The guards saw her approaching and even though they had orders not to interfere, they were secretly glad that they didn't have to stop her because she looked like she'd slaughter them if they had tried.
Midoro slams into the doors and they fly open. It was a good thing that he'd anticipated her arrival and even her mood so he had left the doors unlocked. Even still, Negi winced as he saw the walls crack under the powerful slam from her hands.
The guards pull the doors shut quickly behind her and one of the guards shakes his head, thinking that he wouldn't want to be in Negi's shoes for all the magic in the world.
Negi tries to remain calm as he sees Midoro who is quite angry, and easily a very powerful demon even without the royalty thing behind her. He knew however that it was those same royalty duties that were her reasons for storming in like that.
Midoro holds out the message in her hand and says, "What is the MEANING of this?"
Negi tries to remain calm under the face of the unrelenting fury that was before him and though he was able to pull it off on the surface, on the inside he was a bundle of nerves.
Negi says, "If you'll calm down for a moment, I will be more than happy to explain it." What he didn't expect was for her to grab him and lift him up into the air with a single hand. Her fox fire powers clearly showing around her body at that moment as she says once more, "Explain it, NOW!"
Negi sighs and says, "Ok, I'll explain… but please put me down first?" Midoro lets go of him and he drops into the seat below him a bit roughly.
Negi straightens out his clothes for a moment before he says, "Ok now, where should I begin… Ah yes, I am to put it quite simply not going to be around for much longer Midoro and I know you can imagine that without me in charge there will be a big power fight within the Guardians over who will be in charge. I don't think we need any more deaths around here do you?"
Midoro slowly calms down as she sees his point, "No, we don't… we already lost so many good Guardians to those two…" Negi interrupts by saying, "Exactly, and with the return of the royal family, it would fall upon you or your children to take over the role of leadership."
Midoro growls softly, "Look, there is no way that I will force the roles of being the Guardian leadership upon my children! They deserve to decide for themselves what they want to do!"
Negi nods, "True, I couldn't agree more… that is why I'd like for you to resume your duties as Queen of the Guardians."
Midoro sighs and puts her fingers to the bridge of her nose before she says, "I was afraid you'd say that. But quite frankly I don't want to be Queen again after all that it took to leave to be with my husband. I've seen too much, been through too much to be an effective ruler anymore."
Negi rubs his chin in thought and says, "That's unfortunate because then either one of your two children steps up to the task of being the new King or Queen, there will be more lives lost. Are you sure you won't reconsider?" He looks at her and sees that she is still thinking about it.
Negi sighs and leans back in the seat before he says, "Ok, think about it but don't take too long because I don't exactly have much time left."
Midoro looks at him and says, "There's nothing that anyone can do?"
Negi shakes his head slowly and says, "I'm afraid not. My time is almost up. I think I have about a month at best if I don't push myself too hard but after that…" He looks down for a moment before he looks up into her eyes and says, "Well, it has been a good run for me. I can't complain and I won't if there isn't anyone to take over for me."
Midoro looks like she is in deep thought before she says, "What were you planning on doing if we hadn't shown up?"
Negi looks a bit uncomfortable before he sighs and says, " Well, I know I promised never to tell but I was going to tell your daughter about her royal heritage in my final hours and hope that she'd accept the responsibility of leadership."
Midoro knew she should have been more angry and shocked but given what had happened the last time there had been a power vacuum within the Guardians, it was something that she didn't want to ever have happen again.
Midoro's shoulders slump down before she says, "I need to think about it and discuss this with the others."
Negi nods and says, "I understand perfectly, I wasn't sure if you would want to tell them or keep this to yourself so that is why I approached you first by messenger."
Midoro gives him a soft hug, "Thanks, and I'm sorry I lost my temper like that."
Negi smiles and returns the hug, "It is ok, it happens to the best of us at one point or another."
Midoro turns and says, "I'll see you around Negi and for what it is worth… I'm sorry." She sees him nod to her and he replies, "Thanks, but no apologies are necessary."
Midoro walks out of the room, past two nervous guards who'd heard nothing but eerie silence since she walked in and they both had feared for Negi. She didn't say a word to them or even acknowledge their presence, leaving them both to look into the room to check on Negi. She suppressed a giggle as she heard them try to whisper, "No way… Great Negi is unharmed… I thought he was a goner… He truly is Great…"
Midoro smiles and adds in thought to the last whisper she heard, "Yes… he truly is great… I just wish I could do something more for him."
Inuyasha and everyone was eating in a small make-shift eating area since the cafeteria place was still a room that no one could stand being in because of the slaughter that had been caused by Kagraku and her sister.
Everyone looks up as she comes in and Shippou is the first to welcome her back by running up before leaping up into her arms and giving her a big hug.
Midoro smiles as she holds Shippou in her arms and sees those great big trusting eyes, the sweet lovable child-like innocence that which makes him so special to her. She hugs him tightly and gives him a quick kiss on the cheek before she says, "How's my big, strong little man doing?"
Shippou smiles at his mother and says, "I'm doing great! How are you doing? You seemed a little down when you came back."
Midoro tries to hide the surprise on her face as she says, "My, aren't you an observant one? I was just doing some heavy thinking and I guess I let it get me down a little." She tickled him by the tummy until he begged for her to stop.
Midoro puts Shippou down and watches him run off to sit by Kirara and Sango. She walks over to the table before she grabs a bowl of rice and her chopsticks to begin eating in quiet thought.
Everyone notices her silence and decide to leave her be to her thoughts, they all guessed that it had to do with the two very powerful creatures that almost destroyed the Guardians within their own mountain!
After everyone finishes eating she stands up and says, "Aneko, Shippou, I want to talk to you both about something. It has to do with my past leadership duties as the Queen of the Guardians."
The silence followed by that simple announcement is one that could have been cut with a knife. Midoro walks over to a vacant corner of the room and sits there; it wasn't far as the room was so small that unless they whispered everyone would be able to hear them.
The two children looked at each other before she started to talk, wondering what she could have to say. Midoro takes a long, slow breath to steady her nerves before she says while looking at the both of them, "I have just learned that Negi doesn't have much longer to live, a month at best and then he will be gone."
Everyone in the room just about gasps at the shocking news, Shippou is the first to say anything by asking, "Isn't there anything we can do?" Midoro shakes her head and says, "I'm sorry, but there is nothing anyone can do. I'm afraid that the news doesn't get any better from here as well."
Aneko frowns a little and says, "What do you mean? How could it get any worse?" Koga walks over and sits by Aneko and wraps his arm around her in a sort of protective way, having a feeling he knows where this is going since he was a leader while the others weren't.
Midoro closes her eyes and then opens them slowly as she says, "Once Negi is gone, there will have to be an established leader for Guardians or the resulting power vacuum will most likely destroy what is left of the Guardians and I'm afraid that there will be no one left to protect anything."
Aneko looks at her mother, feeling like she knew where this was headed even as Koga tightens his grip on her, knowing that she was figuring out what he had just figured out. She says, "Mother, you don't want to be Queen again do you?" She knows she has it figured out when her mother lowers her head a little even as Shippou touched her knee and says, "Is she right Mom?"
Silence follows for a few moments before she says in a soft voice, "Yes, I made a vow to myself and your father that I would never be Queen of the Guardians again after what it took to break off and be with him."
Aneko says in a strong and confident voice, "I'll do it, I'll take over as Queen." She reaches over to Koga's free hand and takes it into hers, squeezing it tightly.
Midoro looks into her daughter's eyes and says, "It is complicated… if you do, then you can't marry Koga. You would have to be married before taking the crown or a select group of Guardians would choose the one who would become your husband… in an arranged marriage. I couldn't do that to you."
Aneko pales a little at the thought of being forced to marry someone she didn't truly love and squeezes Koga's hand in which he squeezes back in kind.
Koga then releases Aneko and moves be in front of her, kneeling to be level with her eyes before he takes her hand into his. He says with a voice full of love and strength before he says, "Aneko, ever since I broke off my engagement to Kagome, I have thought about marrying you and making you my one and only for me for life." He never waves in his gaze into Aneko's eyes as his heart pours into his eyes and his voice together as he continues, "If you will, I would consider myself the luckiest wolf demon in the world if you would consent to being my wife. So, will you marry me?"
Aneko just gazes into Koga's eyes, seeking the truth about why he proposes and sees within his soul that she can see within his eyes that he spoke the truth. He truly did love and want to marry her, and that while the timing was bad and that it had pushed his hand to ask her this early. She could tell that he would have asked her anyway and soon.
Tears start to fill her eyes slowly until they become big, streaming tears that run down her cheeks and onto her lap below. She breaks into a huge smile and leaps at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and knocking him flat onto his back as she shouts, "Yes! You crazy wolf-demon that I love, Yes! I will marry you!" She kisses him before he can say anything else.
Midoro was surprised that Koga would do that and then she smiles as she realizes that her daughter was in the hands of a demon that truly loved her with all his heart, just like her husband loved her. She knew now that she had a wedding and a coronation to plan!
Everyone in the room was happy for Aneko, even the grumpy Inuyasha. Kagome smiled and scooted over to Inuyasha before she whispers to him, "When get married, I want to have a big wedding ok?" This surprises him and makes him blush red even though the others wonder what Kagome could have said. She just giggles and places a quick kiss upon his cheek.
Midoro smiles as she watches Aneko and Koga just kiss for a long time while she covers Shippou's eyes with a hand even as he tried to watch and complained the whole time.
AN: I hope you all enjoythis chapter! Be sure to check out Mikagirl101's stories, she is the best at her Inuyasha stories!