Disclaimer: Inuyasha: Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi does not belong to me in any way, shape, or form. This is a work of fanfiction and was written for entertainment purposes only. No profits are made from the writing or reading of this story. Only original characters and situations are © copyrighted by me.

I Want Tomorrow
©2004 by Kei

Chapter XII – The Quiet One

"Kagome, I don't understand! Where're we going? Why'd we have to sneak out?" Shippou whined as they entered the forest as the sun shed the first rays of day over the horizon.The dark-haired priestess looked down at the kitsune in her arms and he saw the tears glistening in her eyes. He frowned to see her so upset; he worried her distress was his fault.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Kagome—," he started to say, but she effectively silenced him by nuzzling her face in his fuzzy ginger mop of hair, kissing him affectionately, almost apologetically, as the saltwater trickled from her eyes and onto his head.

"Did Inuyasha do something to you, Kagome?" Shippou demanded. "If he hurt you, I'll make him sorry!"

She made the slightest negative noise in response, so her companion ceased his tirade. He wished he could help Kagome, could make her feel happier somehow, could get her to actually say something. Seeing her so sad made him feel sad, too. He missed his smiling, laughing mother-sister.

They traveled for more than a week, moving only after nightfall, sliding slippery through shadows. The landscape was an unfamiliar blur to Shippou, but Kagome seemed to know their destination as she moved, tireless and swift, across the countryside.

The break in the bewildering routine came in the form of a young woman riding a fire-cat demon and armed with a huge boomerang carved out of bone. She had stopped at a riverside, presumably to wash, when Kagome and Shippou came upon her.

Sango was the young woman's name; her fire-cat was Kirara. They came from a village of demon exterminators, or taijiya. Sango was bathing after a particularly gory slaying she had completed. Despite her clan's centuries-old occupation, Sango had no prejudice against demons, and was nothing but welcoming to Kagome and Shippou. She didn't question Kagome on the girl's silence and seemed content to chat amiably with Shippou, who had many anecdotes to share with her.

"Where are you traveling to?" Sango inquired after a time.

"I don't know," Shippou answered. "Kagome?"

The young priestess offered only a small smile and a shake of her head.

"Do you have nowhere to go?" Sango asked.

Again Kagome shook her head.

"As a miko, you have purification powers, right?" said Sango.

"Yeah she does!" Shippou exclaimed. "She is the best miko ever!"

Kagome gave him an affectionate squeeze and kiss on the nose. He giggled and licked her nose in retaliation.

"I am sure my village would welcome you," Sango put forth. "Your abilities of purification and your training in healing would be a great asset to the community."

"Oh, Kagome, let's do it, huh? Please!" Shippou begged, giving her his cutest expression.

He didn't have to ask twice. Kagome nodded and stood up. Kirara transformed from the size of a kitten to that of a large tiger. Sango helped Kagome climb onto the demon-cat's back before clambering on behind her two new acquaintances. Then Kirara launched into the sky, running on air to transport her passengers back to the village of the renowned taijiya.

Kagome and Shippou were genially welcomed into the community of demon exterminators. Sango's father insisted the miko live with his family, and Kagome's acceptance of his invitation increased his prestige among his contemporaries. Miko were a rare breed, and all the villagers were slightly in awe of Kagome, though they themselves were formidable and revered persons because of their profession.

Time passed.

Kagome became close to the family with which she lived, especially Sango. Shippou and Sango's younger brother, Kohaku, loved playing together. Sango's father treated Kagome like another daughter, which she had missed these past ten years her father had been dead.

Though her muteness disturbed some, the whole community was unfailingly kind to her. After all, not only was she a soothing presence, she also cared for the children while their parents were otherwise occupied; she healed the injuries of wounded exterminators who might have otherwise died without her ministrations; and she was able to purify sullied weapons, clothing, and individuals. She became a valuable asset to the taijiya village.

Everyone noticed the swelling of the young priestess' abdomen, but nobody made any comment. Furthermore, nobody knew Kagome was a demon. Taijiya though they were, they sensed no demonic aura about the young woman.

"Why hasn't Inuyasha come looking for you?" Shippou inquired one night, snuggled up next to Kagome on the pallet they always shared.

Even in the dark, the kitsune's eyes detected Kagome's puzzled expression.

"Well, you guys are in love, aren't you?" the child clarified. "If you ran away from me, I'd never stop searching for you!"

She kissed his nose and held him closer to let him know that she would never run away from him in the first place.

"But still!" the child insisted. "Where's Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha was at his own home, feeling like a prisoner in his father's house. He couldn't leave because of Lord Kin's edict that Inuyasha must do as his mother asked to make up the suffering she endured due to her precious son's absence.

For the past several months, Lady Machi had asked nothing but that Inuyasha remain constantly by her side, even if no words passed between them. He complied, but his mind always wandered to Kagome, wondering where she was, cursing her for leaving without saying a single word to him, apologizing to her for perhaps driving her away, ordering her to return, begging her to come back and hold him.

"You told me, my son, that you and the pretty demon priestess did not know each other," Lady Machi remarked one afternoon as she sat with her child near the koi pond. "You said you were not certain what your feelings for her were."

"Yeah, so?" he spat unthinkingly.

Lady Machi closed her parasol and set it aside. Then she reached over and slowly wrapped her slender arms around Inuyasha's shoulders. Gently she pulled him closer and pressed his head to her shoulder. She leaned her cheek against his crown, smiling when his ears twitched against her face. She stroked his hair with a soothing maternal hand. Inuyasha didn't struggle, knowing how much she had missed him. Plus, he had rather missed being coddled like a pup by his mother, though he would never admit that aloud to anyone.

"You must find her, my darling," Lady Machi murmured. "You must go to her and tell her how much you love her."

"Whaddya mean?" he asked incredulously. She was telling him to leave?

"It is time I relinquished my claim on you," she went on. "The mother gives her son to his wife. I give you to the miko Kagome now, Inuyasha." She pressed a kiss on his bangs and released him from her embrace.

"Mother?" he said, gazing at her with large eyes.

"Son," she responded, smiling fondly even as tears streamed noiselessly down her smooth cheeks. "Go."

He stood up and began bounding away. He blushed when her voice sounded from behind him: "Do not return without a grandchild for me!"

The village midwife attended Kagome when she went into labor. Shippou, posted firmly outside the door, could hear no sound from within, which worried him immensely. Babies cried when they came out, right? And why wasn't Kagome screeching in pain like so many human women did during childbirth? What if the baby was stillborn and the birthing had killed Kagome?

Sango immediately scooped up the kitsune cub when he started sobbing, overcome by his own fears for Kagome and for his unborn sibling. She comforted him to the best of her abilities, though her family had never been given to strong displays of affection.

Some time later, the midwife emerged. Shippou and Sango's family stared expectantly at her.

"It is over," she declared. "Both are healthy."

It seemed the entire village sagged with relief.

"When can I go in, huh? Huh? Huh? Lemme see Kagome!" Shippou yelped, now squirming in Sango's hold, his earlier anguish utterly dissipated.

The midwife poked her head back in and saw Kagome nod for Shippou to enter. She ushered the pup in and left the tired priestess and her two children alone.

The baby's eyes were closed, but Shippou could see its tiny pointed ears and short but sharp claws. Thin tufts of white hair softer than down covered the newborn's head.

"A boy?" Shippou questioned eagerly, clambering into Kagome's lap to get a closer look at the baby. Kagome nodded and the kit grinned hugely. "And he didn't cry when he came out?"

She shook her head.

"He's quiet like you, Kagome."

She bussed him on the nose and cuddled him close.

Suddenly the baby awoke, whimpering hungrily. Shippou was intrigued by the process of breast-feeding. When the baby was full and Kagome's kimono closed, the new mother welcomed Sango, Kohaku, and their father into the room and let them see her son.

The tranquil scene was abruptly interrupted when the alarm went up that a demon was approaching the village. The taijiya armed themselves and prepared for battle. Shippou hopped onto Sango's shoulder, prepared to do battle with any fool who dared to attack the village in which his Kagome and his baby brother chose to stay.

A red and white blur shot out from the trees and landed in the midst of the taijiya.

"Inuyasha?" Shippou exclaimed, surprising Sango.

"You know this creature?" she asked the ginger-haired cub.

"He's Kagome's mate," Shippou explained.

Everyone's eyes widened at this pronouncement. Some weapons were tentatively lowered, though most of the gathered exterminators remained on guard.

"Brat!" Inuyasha snarled when he caught sight of the cub. "Where the hell's Kagome?"

"'Bout time you showed up, you smelly dog," Shippou replied. "She's in there." He pointed at Sango's father's home.

Inuyasha grunted his gratitude and dashed to the house. At the door he said, "Kagome?" and slowly pushed the door open, closing it carefully once inside. He turned around and nearly jumped when he found Kagome standing directly behind him, bearing a curious-smelling bundle in her arms. Whatever it was smelled alive, a mixture of Kagome's sweet scent, Inuyasha's own scent, and the aroma of milk and contentment.

"Kagome—," he started to say, but stuttered to a halt when Kagome unwrapped the top bit of the bundle in her arms. One gold eye and one blue-grey eye gazed up at him.

Unobtrusively Kagome cleared her throat. Inuyasha's eyes flew back to her. She smiled warmly.

"This is your son, Inuyasha," she told him. "His name is Kiyoshi."

It was almost too much for Inuyasha. Not only had Kagome spoken to him, but she had given birth to his son! His heart was breaking and mending so fast he could barely breathe.

Kagome turned and led him to her pallet, on which she sat on her knees, motioning for Inuyasha to do the same across from her. He situated himself so his knees touched his mate's. She held Kiyoshi out and Inuyasha took his child in his arms like he was made of perfect rice paper that must not be creased in any way, like perfect thin china.

As Kiyoshi drifted into slumber, Inuyasha whispered, "Kagome, I love you. Don't ever doubt it. I was scared that my feelings weren't real, but they are."

Tears spilling from her eyes, Kagome said evenly, "Yes, I know. And I love you, Inuyasha. I'm sorry I didn't speak to you, didn't tell you I was a demon. But my soul was shattered, and if I'd spoken in the past nine months, the pieces would have bled out of my mouth. Do you understand?"

He nodded solemnly.

"I became a demon because Kikyou's bad demonic blood mingled with mine and by the time I woke up I was a demon. I was terrified, because how could I be a priestess and also my antithesis, a demon? The wounds in my heart were deepened by that knowledge.

"Our night together initiated the healing process, for I felt then your intense affection, though it was very muddled. I knew you felt something true for me then. Yet I knew I had to leave so that each of us might sort out the feelings for the other. Since that time, as Kiyoshi grew in me and lived peacefully here, I have recovered, and your arrival today signaled the end of my silence."

She reached out and clasped his clawed hand in hers. She lifted it to her cheek, kissed his knuckles, opened his fingers and kissed his palm.

"May I put my son— eh, our son down?" he asked, and Kagome held her arms out to reclaim the baby. She carefully placed the snoozing baby in his cradle Kohaku and his father had crafted for the child.

When she was certain all was well and comfortable with Kiyoshi, Kagome went back to Inuyasha, who had stood up to meet her. Before she could speak, he caught her in a fierce embrace and fervently pressed his lips to hers, drank of her taste like a dehydrated vagabond. He wished he could do more than just kiss her, but his sensitive nose told him she had only recently given birth and, despite her rapid combined demon and priestess healing capabilities, she needed rest. He was surprised she could even stand up.

"Come home, Kagome," he said roughly into her hair.

"I am needed here," she answered, hands tightly clutching his haori. "They knew me not and yet offered me a comfortable home. I have felt loved and cared for here, Inuyasha. I have felt safe, and I want safety and security above all for my children. As I am, as a demon, I cannot return to my grandfather's house but to visit, perhaps. And I am not meant for living as a lady like your honored mother. I would dearly love for you to remain here with me, but will understand if you don't wish to stay. That won't change my feelings."

"I'm not gonna leave ya, Kagome!" he growled, crushing her to him. "If I gotta live with the damn taijiya to be with you and Kiyoshi, okay, I'll live with 'em. Forget everything else, I only care about you."

"And Kiyoshi," she added.

"Yeah," he confirmed a little abashedly.

"And your mother," she went on. "And your father. And Shippou."

Another fiery kiss silenced her.

TBC

NOTES:

Thanks to katty-kat (Hope your question about why and how Kagome became a demon was answered. Don't hit me with a metal bat, please! –cowers-); Michelle (Teehee, you are certainly welcome to Inuyasha after this story's over.); Sakurascent (Yes, Kagome did leave mysteriously, didn't she? But now they're back together and everything's rather hunky-dory, no? And Sango showed up! Miroku will come soon, I promise.); Sailor Moon1996.

Okay, so, it's been a while, and this chapter was short, but I wrote it and there it is. I hope you liked it, and thank you for reading. Please show your appreciation by leaving a review with comments, questions, critiques, etc.

Hi, kids, it's time for "Kei's Shameless Self-Promotion"!

Please go read

"I'm Crying Because I'm Happy"

a tiny collection of three AU IYKagome vignettes.
It can be found on my profile page.
I do hope you read and review!

Arigatoo gozaimasita,
Kei

PS: A SHORT EPILOGUE IS FORTHCOMING! THE END IS VERY F---ING NIGH!