Will they find Sango and Miroku? Will they find Kagome? Will Kagura sort out her feelings? Will Kouga resist the urge to jump her? Will I finish this story before we hit 30 chapters? Will Kagura ever learn to cook? Is Kikyo rolling her eyes in the afterlife? Is Kanna shaking her head in shame at her sister's culinary failings? Or are they both too busy playing Risk to pay attention to what's going on with Kagura and her ever-complex life? Isn't Risk a fun game? It can last really long. So can Monopoly. I imagine dead people play a lot of board games to pass the time. I bet Kikyo would rule at poker, she'd only meet her match when it came to Sesshoumaru. He never expresses himself…well, not very much. What use are frowns and smiles and scowls when…
Something Is Real
Part 28
"I can't believe it, you two look just the same." Sango marveled as she fed the child next to her a portion of her bread. He immediately ate it and then still stole another morsel off of his sibling's plate. This started a fit of crying from the little girl, who was probably about five years old. "Honestly, can't you behave for five minutes." She turned from her visitors to feed the older child another piece of the bread. He threw it at his sister's head. She threw her hands up. "I'm sorry, they can be a handful, and I swear they only behave when their father makes them, which he never does." She glared at the man peacefully sipping tea and looking on at the chaotic table.
"They are only playing, Sango dear." He told her, his eyes flashing mischievously. "Children, mind your mother."
"Yes dad!" both cried at once, and Sango sighed deeply.
"You see?" she turned back to Kagura and Kouga. "Miroku's hardly a disciplinarian, but they won't listen to a word I say. I don't know what I'd do if Shippo didn't help out with the others."
"How…many kids do you have?" they were both wondering, but Kouga was the first to say it.
"Well, there's Kiseki, she's with Shippo right now, I'm sure. She loves spending time with him, as he's so much more fun than a pair of old grown-ups like us." Sango rolled her eyes "She's the oldest, eight in two months. And there's Naihatsu, he's second oldest, and he loves to give me a hard time, he's just six." She indicated the boy who was now eating politely as she could have wished. "And next to him is Hinata, who is the third oldest, five years old now. She's a bit fussy, but a sweet child. And Shippo also has the twins, Yoru and Asa. They're only three, and a complete handful, but he loves playing with them. And Jouka is sleeping in the next room. She's almost one. With the one I'm carrying now," she patted her still small stomach. "That makes…seven."
"Seven?" Kagura choked. "What, you want to start your own village?"
"I never really thought about it…" Sango frowned. "Seven is enough, isn't it, Miroku?"
"I cannot help if we are extremely blessed." He told her warmly. "Why should we question the wonder of life and its many joyous bounties?"
"I don't think that's how I would put it." Sango made a face at Kagura. "He's never had swollen ankles."
"I believe it takes two people to create a child, Sango." Miroku told her, his voice calm. She pelted a piece of bread at him in just the way that Naihatsu had attacked his sister only a little while ago. Kagura nearly choked on her laughter.
"Then I guess we should get separate beds." She told him. "And don't say things like that in front of the children! How many times do I have to tell you?"
"Countless, I am sure." He winked at her and smiled broadly. He might look older, but he was the same man they had known all those years ago, that was for sure.
"What about you two? Do you plan on having any children?" Sango asked, blinking curiously as she turned to Kagura, who immediately went the color of a tomato. "Or…oh, I'm sorry."
"No…we're not…she just…" Kouga was blustering his way through an explanation. Miroku was chuckling at the scene, and Sango was looking utterly mortified.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't even think…I guess, you two came together, and you're living together, I just thought…oh, it doesn't matter, anyway." She flushed. "I just…you seem to get along very well, at least."
"We're best friends." Kagura felt a bit better talking about that. "After what happened, he was the one that looked after me. And now…I don't know where I'd be if he hadn't kept with it."
"I couldn't give up on her." He smiled at Kagura warmly. "She's…important to me."
"I'm sure." Miroku gave them both a knowing look. "I hope Shippo returns soon. He has grown up quite a bit, though it is odd that he seems to age so much more slowly than our own children."
"Youkai are like that." Kouga nodded. "We age about half the speed of humans as children, and once we're fully grown, we slow down even more. That's why Kagura and I look the same after eight years. We're grown, and our bodies don't change much."
"If you didn't mind me asking…how old are you, Kouga?" Sango asked.
"Oh, no, only women get mad at that question." He smiled at the taijiya. "I'm sixty-three."
"You're…" Sango paused, eyes goggling, then she seemed to pick herself up and reassemble her calm face. "Sure." She shrugged.
"So you see." He told her. "I'm really not that old. Kagura, of course, is much younger than me. But Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were a lot older."
"Really?" Sango blinked. "How…um, how old were they, do you think?"
"Well, it's hard to tell." He rubbed his chin. "I don't know if Inuyasha aged when he was on that tree, but even without that fifty years, he was at least eighty."
"Eighty?" Sango snorted. "He acted like he was five."
"Really." Kagura rolled her eyes. "It was shameful."
"Sesshoumaru has to be…hmm…I'd say he's well over one hundred years old, but I don't know by how much. He's hard to judge." Kouga admitted.
"Cause he's so pretty." Kagura noted helpfully.
"How can you even tell?" Sango asked.
"I don't know…you just sort of…know." Kouga explained.
"Sesshoumaru and Rin are mated." Kagura supplied. "They have two kids."
"They are not!" Sango exclaimed, disbelief thick in her voice. "He's…he's…five times her age! At least!"
"Well, think about Inuyasha and Kagome, it wouldn't have been much less of an age difference." Kagura pointed out. "It seemed weird to me too, at first. I mean, remember she was just a little girl, and he was sort of a father to her. But I guess…time can change these things. And she did say she'd marry him when she grew up."
"Good gods." Sango pressed a hand to her forehead. "Miroku, our daughters are not marrying men that are four times older than them! I don't care what species they are."
"If you say so, dear." Miroku nodded slightly. "Were you two hoping to see Kagome, as well?"
"Oh, do you know where she is?" Kagura perked up.
"Well, it is an odd thing." Miroku mulled over his words. "You see, after what happened, she visited for a while. But then she came to tell us that she had found someone. She would not say much about it, but we finally found out that when she met him, his aura…she recognized it, you see. It was Inuyasha. Well, his reincarnation, I suppose. They were married a few years back. We were able to meet him before they moved to another country. She does not get to visit us anymore, though."
"It's sad." Sango sighed. "But about once a year, she does come down for a day or two. Last year, she had a baby. That was rather happy, and she seems a lot better. At first, we were worried she would never forgive herself."
"That's really strange." Kagura noted. "Do you think…their souls might be connected?"
"We believe so." Miroku nodded. "As Kikyo's reincarnation fell in love with Inuyasha, and his reincarnation fell in love with her. It is much too odd to be coincidence."
"That is really romantic." Kagura sighed. She nearly yelped when she felt Kouga's hand cover hers under the table. Then she concentrated on not blushing horribly. "I'm glad she's happy."
"Me too." Kouga added, smiling at her warmly. She was having a really hard time not blushing. He was obviously being malicious with his cute little hand holding smiling actions. He just wanted to embarrass her.
"Now then, would you two like to stay the night here?" Sango asked. "I'm sure we can find you a couple futons somewhere, and Shippo should be back before it gets too dark."
"If he comes back late, Sango yells at him." Miroku explained.
"I do not. I only ask where he was." Sango straightened indignantly. "Is it wrong for a mother to worry?"
"Mom!" in came a little girl who looked almost exactly like Sango. "We're home!"
"Speak of the devil." Miroku waved to the tall boy entering with two children on his back. "Welcome back, Shippo."
"We went to the river, and then Shippo caught five fish, and I counted them and then we cooked them and had them for lunch and then Asa almost fell in the river but he picked her up with one hand!" Kiseki was telling her mother of her adventures in a rapid voice.
"Kagura, Kouga?" Shippo was much taller than they remembered, but he still looked like he was not much more than a teenager by human age standards. "Long time no see!"
"It's good to see you," Kouga nodded politely.
"You're so tall!" Kagura stood and actually hugged him, to Kouga's utter displeasure. "You're taller than me now! You were so small last time I saw you!"
"Amazing, isn't it?" Sango was amused by Kagura's reaction to Shippo. "I couldn't believe it when he was finally taller than me."
"I wonder, how tall is Kohaku now?" she asked, her eyes still excited and smiling. "Humans grow much faster, he must be an adult."
"Oh." Sango paused, and even Miroku seemed to falter. "He…well, he left here a long time ago. He said he was looking for something. I get letters once in a while…I don't really know where he is, though."
"I'm sorry." Kagura immediately felt guilty. "I'm sure he misses you."
"Yes. He just…after Naraku." Sango sighed. "He never really forgave himself."
"I know how that can be." Kagura nodded sympathetically. "It's hard to let go of the things you've done wrong."
"Kagura still can't really let it go." Kouga explained. "The tribe loves her, and she still…well, I guess it isn't something I can ever really understand. She's a good person."
"Yeah, she is." Sango agreed.
"You guys…stop." Kagura flushed. "It's embarrassing. Anyway, let's finish dinner!"
When Kagura sat down, Kouga grabbed her hand again.
She didn't pull away.
----------
"Kagura…are you sleeping?" Kouga hissed at the girl in the bed next to him.
"Not with you doing that, I'm not." She stuck her tongue out at him and grumbled. "What's up?"
"I wanted to say thanks." He told her.
"For what?" she groaned. "I was sleeping."
"For making me come back and see everyone. You were right. It was a good idea." He told her.
"I'm always right, of course." She giggled lightly. "Now go back to sleep so I can rest. If you wake them up, I'm pretending to still be asleep."
"You're horrible." He chuckled softly. "Just one more thing, though."
"What?" she asked, sitting up and rubbing at her tired eyes so she could see him better in the dark.
"A…goodnight kiss." He began. "Before, there were people…I didn't want to…you know."
"Oh, fine." She huffed a sigh. "Get it out of your system then."
"You don't have to." He pouted. She hated it when he pouted.
"Come on, you're not going to let me sleep until you've done it." She grumbled. "I'm sleepy."
"I don't want to if you're just going to make it seem like a chore." He was still pouting.
"It's not, okay? Just do it and be done." She leaned forward expectantly. Several minutes passed. He didn't move.
"Kouga?" she spoke up. "Are you sleeping?"
"No." he answered. "I'm not kissing you though. Not if you're going to be that way about it."
"What way? I thought you wanted to, and now you won't?" she threw up her hands. "You're hopeless."
"I do want to, but you don't." he grumbled. "I won't force you."
"Don't be such a baby." She moved over him, pinning his shoulders and scowling down at him. "If you don't do it, I'm going to, and then we can both sleep."
"Not if you don't want to." He maintained. She rolled her eyes and crushed her mouth to his. At first, it was just to prove her point, that she didn't mind it, that she liked it, and that just because she wanted to sleep didn't mean she didn't like kissing him anymore. She just wanted to sleep. But then…the taste of him, and the way his lips and tongue moved, and the little surprised noise he made when she first came down on him…they got to her. She wanted to get closer, to feel more, to taste him better. And then, before she knew it, they were both under his blanket, and then she could feel it pressing against her leg, and she pulled back, gasping and blushing.
"I'll…just move back over here, then." She coughed and moved to her own futon. It was barely any distance, and Kouga threw his arm over her. She smiled and scooted back, letting him cuddle against her as she fell asleep.
This wasn't so bad.
It felt nice, being in love.
The End (Of Part 28, That Is)