Disclaimer - It's not mine, never was.
Kikyou was not a happy miko, and that was putting it lightly. Ever since Inuyasha had spoken with Kagome about the unexpected pregnancy, he had been broody and distant. No matter what she tried, she could not get his mind off of her reincarnate and the unborn child. He would get up at all times of the night and wander around the little hut they lived in. He called the girl's name in his sleep, and Kikyou had really had about enough of it. Her plan was working, though, and that was of some comfort.
It seemed that Kagome had taken comfort in the arms of the wolf demon Kouga after the meeting all those days ago. In fact, Inuyasha had gotten word that his old friends, the monk and the exterminator, were to be wed in Kaede's village, and gone to witness the occasion. When he had come back, he had been in the worst of moods ever, muttering under his breath about 'stupid, flea bitten wolves' and 'Kagome going back through that damned well'. Kikyou had said nothing though, comforting him as best as she could, meanwhile trying to hide the maniacal grin that threatened to erupt from inside her. She had been able to loosen her hold on his mind after that, knowing that he would not try to fight her as much now that he knew she would be leaving the Feudal Era and going back to her own time.
The wedding had been over two weeks ago, and still Inuyasha was sulking, which was fine with Kikyou. The angrier he got, the better. Pulling her basket of herbs from the side of the wall, Kikyou looked back over her shoulder and smiled at the white haired hanyou sitting on the floor by the fire.
"I'm leaving now, Inuyasha." she said sweetly. "There are some people on the other side of the village that I need to take care of. I'll be back in a few hours."
"Feh. Whatever." was her only response. Kikyou left the hut and tried to tamp down the smile that threatened to erupt from her.
'That's good. He's mad. Let him stew in his own anger for a little longer. It'll soon be time to start the next part of this plan. Then, I'll have my revenge on the miko and Inuyasha for what they've put me through.'
**** Back in Kagome's era…. ****
Kagome had went back to the doctor for a checkup, and everything pointed to the child being healthy. When she had gotten back home, though, she started having some questions of her own about the pregnancy itself.
Would the baby being part demon affect the gestation period?
Would there be any permanent changes to her body after the child was born?
What would the baby look like? Would it have puppy ears, or a tail, or claws?
Would it be able to transform into a demon like Inuyasha did?
There were so many questions that she wanted answers to, but did not know who to speak with. Of course, Kaede would be the most logical person, but Kagome had a feeling the older woman did not know a lot about human/demon pregnancies.
As she helped her mother with dinner, her thoughts strayed to the other demons she knew.
Shippou was out of the question. She highly doubted that he would know much about it since he was still young. Inuyasha would be of no help, since he did not even really want to see her, much less answer her questions. And besides, Kagome did not feel like having to deal with Kikyou if she went to see him. Sesshomauro would have a field day with it if he ever found out what had happened, so Kagome knocked him off of the list. She did not want to trouble Kouga anymore, because it would just get him even angrier at the half demon.
'But maybe Kuarasama and Keiko would know something about it. After all, Keiko was a demon, and part of the tribe's elders.' she thought hopefully. With that in mind, Kagome told her family that she was going back to the Feudal Era the next day to find out some information about the child and the pregnancy. It had been a little over two weeks since she had left, and she was actually starting to miss the place. Of course, her mother was understanding, but her grandfather was annoyed with her going back and forth.
"I can answer any questions you may have, Kagome." he said gruffly. "Why not just ask me."
"Because I want the right answers." Kagome said firmly. "Not something you make up." Her grandpa looked almost scandalized for a few moments, but Souta busted out laughing. It was a well known fact that Kagome's grandpa would invent and cook up stories about demons and the such for tourists to listen to. Kagome and Souta had grown up listening to the fabricated tales, and knew that most of them were just improvised stories their grandfather had made up.
So, the next day, after stuffing her oversized bag with lots of goodies for Shippou and the cubs in Kouga's pack, she jumped into the well and waited for the familiar feeling of being five hundred years in the past settle into her.
*** Meanwhile, in Kouga's Den…. ***
Kouga had just returned from patrols when he picked up the smell of an unknown male demon around the den. Coming up to the entrance as silently as possible, he sniffed the air and shuddered when he finally realized who it was.
His father.
'What does he want now?' Kouga thought as he entered into the cave. 'I don't feel like putting up with him right now.' Coming into the cave, he immediately found his father with the pack elders in the back. The man was similar to Kouga in build and facial features, but his hair was another matter. Instead of the raven black like Kouga's, his hair was a deep auburn color. Luckily, Kouga had received his mother's hair coloring and eye color, but everything else was almost a complete replica of the proud demon at the end of the cave.
Depositing the dead deer he had brought along with him as dinner for some of the pack, he walked to the back and greeted his father.
"Father, what brings you here?" he asked respectfully, bowing to the older man. It was true that Kouga was the leader of this pack of wolves, but his father was the Lord of the Eastern Lands, and he was to be treated with respect.
"I need to speak with you, my son, concerning a very important matter." his father said gravely
"Of course, father." Kouga replied, motioning him towards his private chambers further back into the cave. When they entered and were settled comfortably in the numerous furs surrounding the room, Kouga broke the uneasy silence.
"What brings you here, father?" he asked again. "Is something the matter?"
"I will come straight to the point, Kouga." he said firmly, watching his son for a reaction. "Word has reached me that you intend to take a human as a mate. Is that true?" Kouga steeled himself for this conversation, because he knew how it was going to end before it ever began. Like the other Lords of the land, his father was against anyone that was not a full blooded demon.
"Yes, she is human." Kouga answered. "But she is not like other humans. She's a miko."
"Is this the same one that traveled with Sesshomaru's younger bastard of a brother Inuyasha?" the older demon asked.
"Yes." Kouga said. The Wolf Lord frowned and shook his head.
"It has also come to my attention that the girl is pregnant with a child. I take it the child is yours?" he asked, surveying his oldest son. Kouga flinched and shook his head.
"No, it's not mine." he said. "It is the hanyou Inuyasha's."
"Yet you still intend to take this girl as a mate, even though she carries another's child? She's no more than a common whore if she is carrying another's child." he stated coldly.
"She was marked when the child was conceived." Kouga ground out, trying not to loose his patience. "The hanyou marked her as his mate, then betrayed her with another. She did nothing wrong, other than loving a fool."
"Love." the older demon snorted, waving his hand about as if to dismiss it. "A worthless emotion that causes trouble." Kouga said nothing in response, even though his temper was steadily rising. He knew he was going to encounter some problems with his father, but he did have a trump card his father did not think about.
"Kagome will be my mate." he said firmly. "I won't change my mind."
"I can forbid you to take the girl, Kouga." his father reminded him. "Don't forget your position. You are still my son, and heir to the Eastern Lands."
"Kagome helped to defeat Naraku and bring back the people and demons who he killed in his search for the Jewel." Kouga pressed. "It is because of her that this pack was brought back up to full strength." Kouga watched as this settled into his father's head. The expression on the old Lord seemed to soften a tad, and Kouga pulled out his trump card. "Kagome is the reason Laniko came back to life, back to the Eastern Courts, and eventually back to you, father."
The Lord's surprised look was exactly what Kouga had been expecting. Mention of the demon woman had been what he had been betting on. Laniko had been a part of the Eastern Courts before she had been killed by Naraku in an ambush on one of the villages outside the Eastern Lord's manor. Kouga's father had taken a liking to the strong willed demoness in his Court, even though her blood was not pure demonic. It had been rumored that he would take her as his own mate, since Kouga's demon mother had died in childbirth. Unfortunately, like many of the other influential demons of the time, the Eastern Lord had been adamant about keeping any children he had as pure blooded demons. He had wanted to take Laniko as his partner, but her blood was tainted. Laniko was killed before anything else could be made into existence other than the rumors. When she was killed on the Kouga's father's doorsteps, the Eastern Lord had sworn revenge on the evil hanyou Naraku, but his grief over the dead demoness had been too great. He had gone into a depression, and only Kouga and a few of the others of his household knew why.
Laniko had actually been three-quarters demon and a quarter human. Her father was full blooded, but her mother had been a hanyou. And when Inuyasha's wish had brought back the innocents killed by Naraku, Laniko had been brought back as well. Kouga's father had never taken another mate after Kouga's mother had died, and when Laniko showed up at Court one day to reinstate her family's place among the demon families present, he had been ecstatic. Letting go of his beliefs about pure demonic blood being the only respectable lineage, he had made Laniko Lady of the Eastern Lands within the week.
"So you see, even though she is human, she is powerful and worthy to be in our family." Kouga said, pulling his father out of his memory induced daze. The old Lord looked at his son and nodded.
"Kouga, you are the eldest of my children." he said. "When I die, you will inherit the Eastern Lands. Having a human as a mate is not the best choice. She will be put into danger. Do you want that?" Kouga actually laughed at the thought of a demon being able to hurt Kagome.
"She's a miko, father." Kouga smirked. "If she was in too much danger, she'd purify any demon that tried to hurt her. Trust me, I've seen her fight."
"She has killed our kind before?" the older demon asked quickly, glaring at his son.
"She has killed the demons that have threatened her." Kouga clarified. "She has never harmed a member of my pack. In fact, the entire pack seems to love her, especially the children."
Kouga's father seemed to be contemplating the news about the girl his son had decided to take as a mate. From what he had gathered from Kouga and the pack elders, the girl was highly respectable and quite pretty also.
He looked over at Kouga one more time and shook his head. Arguing with the wolf prince would be like arguing with himself, Kouga was just that stubborn. And the Eastern Lord knew that Kouga would abdict the position as the heir to the Eastern Lands if he was prodded enough about the girl. Kouga was the eldest of the Eastern Lord's children, and one of the three sons he had. The rest of the children had been females.
He knew that Kouga loved the miko, but his concern was for the rest of his family. When he had taken Laniko as a mate, his own family had already been established. He already had fathered numerous children, all of them pure blooded, so his family's grasp of the Eastern throne was insured after his passing. The lineage of the Eastern ruling family was solid, with nothing but strong, pure blooded wolf demons waiting to step in should he die. But, if Kouga, his eldest son and next in line to the Eastern throne, mated with a human, the children would be weaker half-bloods, and that was what worried him the most.
Rising from the seat, he looked down at his son and nodded.
"I must think about this arrangement." he said. "I do not want our family to fall apart because of the introduction of a human into it. I will be back in a few days with my answer for you." He turned to leave and Kouga stood up.
"You'll do it, father." he said quietly, as the older demon left. "Because what you felt for Laniko is the same I feel for Kagome, whether you want to admit it or not. I'll bring her to you and show you that she is every bit worthy of our family as Laniko was. Maybe then you'll finally give up these ridiculous ideas you have about pure blood being the only important lineage anymore."
A/N - Okay peeps. How'd I do? Any better than the last one? I sure hope so. Anyway, remember to leave me a review telling me what you think.
Later,
A.A.
