Kagome woke up with a feeling of pain. She didn't even have to open her eyes to know she was no longer asleep. Her every muscle ached. Her stomach churned as if she had swallowed fire and her ears were assaulted by deafening sound. She heard every little stir around her with absolute clarity and shooting agony.
Kagome sat up, unwilling to stay down. She hadn't even opened her eyes when she felt a strong arm behind her supporting her back.
"Inuyasha," she said. She felt his arm. She smelled his scent. Cautiously, she opened her eyes and found two golden orbs staring back at her.
"What happened?" Kagome asked. It hurt to talk but she wanted to so badly. Anything to drive out the pain which, strangely enough, was rapidly disappearing.
"Kagome," said Inuyasha pulling her against his chest. He sniffed her up and down her neck, affectionately givingit a little lick.
"Inuyasha," croaked Kagome wearily. She heard a child cry behind her and Inuyasha flexed his ears.
"Do you... feel well enough to get up?" he asked.
"Yeah," said Kagome stumbling up. She almost sat down again as the world around her swayed. Inuyasha leapt up to her side and placed a hand along her back lending her support. Finally, the world righted itself. Kagome looked out and saw Sango and Miroku staring at her from the fire.
"Hi guys," she called softly, her voice returning to normalcy. Still no one answered her. Feeling eeriness, she walked forward and passed by Shippo who only stared at her holding Kilala. Aijo had a hand over his mouth and was giggling as he pointed. Somebody coughed.
"You want to tell her Inuyasha?" said Miroku stirring the fire. All Kagome could hear was the crackling of sticks and the split of embers.
"Er. All right then. Kagome lift your hands." Kagome did as she was bidden.
"Good. Now touch your ears."
"Very funny Inuyasha," seethed Kagome.
"I'm serious," he said in a low tone. Carefully, Kagome reached up her hands to the side of her head. Nothing was there. She gulped. Her hands traveled up trembling to the top of her head and found themselves holding a soft pair of ears.
"I'm a youkai!" Kagome exploded.
"Ye... no," said Inuyasha trying to calm her. "From all we can sense you're still a miko and part human but you're more youkai than I am."
"Incredible," said Kagome dropping down. She twitched her foot nervously and turned.
"Inuyasha," she said slowly. "What do I look like?"
Inuyasha cleared his throat. "I think you know." Kagome glared at him. "You're a dog youkai."
"A dog youkai!" Kagome exclaimed. "Great. That means I probably have a tail, gah I do! I have a tail!" She gave it a few shakes. "What am I supposed to do about that, walk home with it and say Mom, I grew a tail?"
"No," said Inuyasha, "but you could show it to your sons. I'm sure they'll love it. I know I do."
Kagome calmed down a bit. "Do I still look cute?" she asked anxiously. "Even cuter," Inuyasha assured her.
"Well," said Kagome sitting down. "I guess it's all right then." She sat quietly while Sango spooned out some food for her. Silently, Sango offered the bowl and Kagome took it. Somehow, the scent was more full, much stronger. The pain in her stomach seemed to vanish and she gobbled up the food with relish.
"You're taking this awfully well," said Inuyasha.
"Yeah well, if I didn't like dogs I wouldn't have married one."
"I am not a dog," said Inuyasha stubbornly.
"Yeah, neither am I." She tapped her tail with agitation.
Kagome thrust down her bowl and stood up. "Come on Inuyasha. Let's go running."
"Running?" he said.
"I just want to move around," said Kagome. "My body feels all out of order and like I have this enormous amount to energy."
"That's probably the youkai," said Inuyasha. "That's part of the reason I feel so weak on the night of the new moon. The absence of it is really noticeable."
"Will I have a human day?" said Kagome twisting her head around.
"Maybe," said Inuyasha.
For a treat, Kagome strapped Aijo to her back and instead of climbing on Inuyasha, she stood beside him.
"I don't like that," he whined. "I like having you near me."
"Maybe later," said Kagome. She began to run and Inuyasha challenged her, hovering just ahead.
"Come on Kagome," he shouted. ""Pick up those feet."
Kagome scowled and was surprised when a soft growl came out. She pressed herself a little more, but she was already moving faster on her own than she ever had in her life. The ground below her moved in a blur and she feared the branches around her. They hit, but somehow she pushed through them barely feeling them. There was no sting, no slap of pine. Instead there was only the soft rush, the constant humming of drumming feet. She smelled the air and opened her eyes widely. She curled her ears forward from where she had lain them. This was living. The forest smells descended around her and she caught a very pleasing smell ahead. It smelled of strength. It smelled of spicy passion and tender love. It was her Inuyasha.
Kagome smiled. This was all right. It was better than all right. It was great. For the first time in a long time, she had no regrets about coming to the Sengoku Jidai. She was content with all she had been given, both the good and the bad.
Kagome came to a place where the ground shifted levels suddenly and instead of stopping she curled around and tumbled through the air to land neatly on her feet. Aijo giggled happily. He was a very strong child.
Kagome then leapt at a tree slicing it with her claws. The wood split apart and she jumped back to watch the raining debris. The world had come full circle. Instead of being the helpless girl watching the hanyou split a tree she was the one doing it. He was as impressed as she had been on the day they had first met.
Inuyasha stood there watching her his arms folded. Her form had changed but there was still that delightful sense of Kagome-ness. Her original spirit still reigned. So when she came back all proud of herself he took her in his arms without any sorrow only joy. Still, he had to tell her.
"Kagome," he said. "When you were passed out the woman we saw said something interesting."
"What is it?" said Kagome fondling his hair.
"She said she would give two hundred years of life to every child of mine."
"That's good isn't it," said Kagome pinching a strand of hair in her thumb. She leaned forward and ran several kisses across his mouth. He nuzzled her back and their ears touched. Kagome laughed and pushed back her hair.
"It sounds that way," said Inuyasha continuing. "But she said she would grant two hundred years of life to every child, even if born in sorrow. I wonder if she means Taihen."
Kagome frowned. "Very mysterious," she said. She leaned over. "Now Inuyasha, carry me."
"I thought you were a demon now," he said.
"I'm not as physically fit as you!" Kagome contended. "Besides, I thought you like it."
"I do," said Inuyasha. He lifted her up and smiled as Kagome lay her head sleepily on his shoulder.
"Love you my mate," Kagome whispered.
"Love you too," he said.
They returned to the campsite and settled down for the night. Kagome's pile of puppiesjumped on top of her, even including Taihen whom she had partially raised. That made a total of four. She laughed and called Inuyasha much to his dismay, "Daddy Doggie." Sango and Miroku laughed as well and discussed their own coming child. It was a peaceful night.
But that feeling of peace was to be broken next morning. A mysterious mist rolled in and with a crash of trees and the shout of thunder and a howling gale, an ice spirit appeared. She glared at them in absolute rage and hatred. "Are you the ones who killed my two daughters?" she said.
"If they were the two who attacked us and tried to kill us off then yes," said Inuyasha rudely his hand on his sword. Aijo mimicked him.
The woman narrowed her eyes. "Two spirits of ice, with hair braided like mine," she said. "One with a mirror and one riding a cloud." The camp was quiet for a few moments as everyone felt remorse and sympathy for the woman they had bereaved, albeight needfully.
"I'm sorry," said Kagome quietly. "I did it, to protect my husband and sons."
The demon ignored her words of apology. Instead, her nostrils flared and she created a handful, no a bonfire of icy flames. She threw it at everyone and they all scattered as everythingwas coated with ice.
"Inuyasha, Kagome," creaked out Sango as she kneeled half-frozen in an ice bank that was rapidly consuming Miroku. Shippo jumped off Kilala and began to use his flames to keep them alive. Hodji stood nearby with the younger children on his back.
Kagome whipped out her bow and fired an arrow at the demon.Sheducked it andthe demon's eyes widened. "A youkai with the power of a priestess?" she said in wonder. She narrowly avoided Inuyasha's wind scar.
"Give up," said Inuyasha lowering his sword. "We would have spared your daughters if they backed down. But they went out like proud youkai."
The only reply was that the ice demon caused spires of ice to rise up from the ground. Inuyasha and Kagome both leapt away. Kagome stood in front of the kids, Sango and Miroku, and everyone else. She raised a barrier around them while Inuyasha launched an intense attack on the female ice demon. "I won't give up," she said vengefully pulling a mirror out of her kimono. A blue light shot out of the mirror and sucked up spitual energy to create a large hole in Kagome's barrier. She only had one hand to fight with and so was at a great disadvantage. So she swooped in desperately fighting to keep the gap open while Kagome desperately tried to close it.
"Oh no!" said Kagome as the demon dived on her pile of pups with a cackle of victory. The ice demon flew back up dodging fox fire and feline teeth. In triumph, she held up...
"Taihen!" shouted Sango desperately holding out a hand. "No, Taihen!"
"Taihen is it?" said the demon. "A nice name. So interesting. She doesn't even smell like your mate. She smells like," she looked down on Sango, "you."
"Please, let her go," pleaded Sango.
"I decline," said the ice demon. "After all, this pup is clearly that of the loud mouth. I think I'll keep her. A daughter for a daughter."
"No!" screamed just about everyone. But the ice demon disappeared as fog obscured the sun. When the fog cleared, Taihen had vanished. They would search without success for many a year.
The ice demon Senestice darted across the clouds and down into a gloomy cave. A familiar villain lingered within. "Lord Mouryoumaru," she said. "Please tell me how I can exact my vengeance upon that hanyou of which you're spoken." Mouryoumaru smiled a creepy smile, the complete jewel shard in his hand.
"Serve me well," he said, "and raise this child to be one of us."
"With pleasure," said the demoness tickling Taihen fondly.
"And one more thing," said Mouryoumaru holding the glowing jewel tainted with a hellish soul of particular note. It pulsed out as if giving command. "Call me Naraku," the evil one said.
END OF STORY UNTIL SEQUEL.
Anyone have any name suggestions? I need names for two sons for Inuyasha, one son for Miroku, and a daughter for Kagome.
