Thank all of you for the review! (bows) It made me really happy. Only about 2 more chapters before 'Moon and Destiny' ends, my dear friends!
Act 15:
Tsuki groaned and she sat up in the hospital bed. Akumashugi was lying next to her and he felt her stir. His eyes flickered open as he looked at Tsuki. She was groaning and sweating.
"What's wrong?" Akumashugi asked. He then rephrased his question, "Are you having contractions? Did your water break?"
"No…" Tsuki answered, as she clenched her teeth and held onto her stomach, "…no, it…it's growing,"
"The fetus must be developing faster than the doctors probably thought," Akumashugi said as he gently touched Tsuki's stomach. He could feel his unborn child moving underneath the skin; more rapidly than before, "Yes, it's moving around. It's coming very close to…it's time," He saw Tsuki's nervous face and he held her close. "It's okay, love, everything is going to be alright,"
Tsuki held onto Akumashugi as well, but she still cried a little. She had heard about how much it hurt to give birth.
Everything had grown quiet in the Higurashi home after one o' clock. Shukuen and Reichou were up in their room (with Inu-Yasha checking them every few minuets to make sure things were okay) and Kikyo and Rin were sleeping on the couch. Still, Inu-Yasha was the only restless one in the house. He made himself some coffee and stared out the family room window for a while and looked at the other houses. He thought about the thousands of other families in Tokyo. He thought about how easy their lives were. He thought about how they didn't have a pregnant teen daughter; how they didn't have a homosexual son to deal with; how they didn't have to realize that their grandchild would possibly be a full blood demon…
"Inu-Yasha,"
Inu-Yasha turned around a little and at first glance, he thought it was Kagome, only to see that it was Kikyo. He then turned back around. He had to remember that their relationship was over. He was married now; he had a wife; he had children; he had a child that was about to have a child…
"Inu-Yasha," Kikyo said, "what's wrong? You seem…distracted,"
"It's nothing," Inu-Yasha answered.
"I see…" Kikyo said, knowing that he was lying, "…something is on your mind. Why won't you speak to me? I know, you and Kagome are married now and have children as well, but that does not mean we cannot be friends,"
Inu-Yasha changed the subject, "Why were you with Sesshoumaru all that time?"
Kikyo stiffened, "…we…" She then looked away. "…he's an associate…"
Inu-Yasha snorted as he took a sip of his coffee, "You're lying. You're sleeping with him,"
Kikyo glared at him, "It's not what you think,"
"It is what I think," Inu-Yasha answered, "and you've been sleeping with him for a very long time from what I can tell,"
Kikyo's face hardened, "How can you tell? I don't have his scent,"
Inu-Yasha smirked, "Your skin," Kikyo answered him with a blank face and Inu-Yasha explained, "You have claw marks on your skin from him caressing you. Kagome has the same thing," He gestured towards a long claw mark starting on Kikyo's neck. "It happens often when demons have sex. There is a little bit of blood involved, but you know all about demons, don't you, Kikyo? Tell me, are you going to bear his child, or are you just going to leech off of his power?"
Kikyo glared at Inu-Yasha and headed towards the living room exit. She then hissed, "You know I can't have children because I am resurrected,"
Inu-Yasha just took another sip of coffee.
He tried so hard to breathe. But every breathe was laborious and burning him. He tried to swallow, but that was painful too. Everything was painful. He had truly gone into a world of pain; as if he had been thrown into the depths of hell. He heard a nurse enter the room and she opened his arm and plugged it with something. Nutrients. He was having nutrients put into his blood steam. The nurse looked at him with sad eyes.
"Poor thing," the nurse sighed, "you must be hurting all over," She glanced at his fox ears. "What a wonder you are, Mr. Shippou. Your parents just called and they're going to try and keep you alive for as long as possible. Poor thing. If it wasn't for hospital regulations, I would've unplugged you myself," A single tear came from her eyes and she had to leave the room.
Shippou breathed again, still in pain. He twitched one of his arms, but it was also painful to move. He decided it was hopeless to try and move around. For now, he would just think. He would think about that first smoke he took. He thought about that first drink he took. He thought about that first girl he slept with and told her to get out in the morning. That's all he could do now was think and be a vegetable. One of these days, he would write a book (or get someone to write it for him; maybe that wimp Shukuen he could boss around a bit). The Rise and Fall of Shippou, the greatest Kitsune to ever walk this damn world.
Yeah, that was a great title for the greatest Kitsune ever. Shippou laughed a little, only to recoil in pain.
Shukuen let out a sigh as he nudged Reichou a little. They were sleeping the same bed, it was late at night, the atmosphere was great, but they weren't doing anything. Reichou was attempting to sleep, but he was too nervous and Shukuen was trying to sleep, but he was feeling too alive.
"Reichou…" Shukuen whispered into his ear. Reichou tried not to respond; he remembered the look on their father's faces. Shukuen nipped his ear and urged him, "Reichou,"
"Shukuen…" Reichou began. Shukuen wrapped his arms around Reichou's waist tightly as he kissed his neck, "…Shukuen, your Dad is in the house…he's probably watching us…after what happened in the hallway…"
"I don't care…" Shukuen groaned, "…I want to make out or something…"
Reichou moved out of bed and away from Shukuen. Shukuen was growling, seeing his prize slip away from him. Reichou saw the disgruntled look at Shukuen's face and also noticed that Shukuen's hair was starting to turn silver.
"Shukuen, you need to calm down," Reichou said, slowly and calmly, "Your hormones are through the roof right now. I think that we should just sit here and maybe talk and then–"
Reichou didn't have a chance a finish, because at this moment Shukuen tackled him, growling fiercely as he began to rip off Reichou's pants.
Sesshoumaru was brought to circular room. The air was thick with incense and all sorts of heat. By his side were two cloaked demons. In the center of the room was a large hole in the ground. Standing in front of the hole was another cloaked demon.
"These two shall be accompanying you," said the cloaked demon, "their names are Hoshimori and Takeyama. They are a little…different than us though,"
"Different?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"You see, Hoshimori and Takeyama used to be part of a great oni called Hoshiyama. Over the years, he had grown far too powerful and tried to turn against us. We tried to kill him, but he had gained immortality somehow, so our best sorcerer took and separated him into a yin and a yang part – Hoshimori and Takeyama. They are separate bodies, but they still act as whole.
The cloaked demon then changed the subject, "They will assist you as much as possible and keep you in contact with the Yousanjikai on the other side," He took out his blade from before and made a triangle with the tip of it in the air. "May part of us Yousanjikai succeed in this; and let our blood be cursed if we fail this and shame this covenant,"
"May we succeed and bring honor to the covenant, so says the Yousanjikai," several of the cloaked demons uttered together.
Sesshoumaru felt the air grow thick with incense as several demons began to chant all together. The chanting filled the room and surrounded Hoshimori, Takeyama, and him. It was so loud that it could have knocked down the walls of the room. The hole in the center of the room began to fill with light and there was a loud crackling noise as the hole grew brighter and brighter. The chanting continued and Hoshimori and Takeyama stepped towards the hole with Sesshoumaru.
"Do we…jump?" Sesshoumaru muttered. There was no answer as Hoshimori pushed Sesshoumaru into the hole of light.
"Mom," Tsuki called. No answer. Her mother was fast asleep in the chair. Akumashugi was lying in bed next to Tsuki, sleeping as well. Tsuki sighed, feeling alone as she touched her moving stomach. She closed her eyes and tried to think of how her child would look, but couldn't. No, she would have to wait. She would have to wait until it was time and Tsuki was getting the feeling that that faithful time would be soon.
Akumashugi moved around a little and looked at Tsuki. "How are you?" He said, half awake.
"Fine," Tsuki sighed.
"Don't lie," Akumashugi answered as he sat up and rubbed his eyes, "You're nervous. I can tell. Come on. We need to leave,"
"Leave? Why?" Tsuki asked.
Akumashugi got off the bed, "You can't possibly think you're going to give birth here, are you?"
"Where do you expect it to happen?" Tsuki growled, "The field!"
"You and I both know," Akumashugi answered with a sigh, "That you can't have the baby in such a …place,"
Tsuki looked at Akumashugi, "Yeah…I know I have to go down to the delivery level of the hospital when the time comes,"
Akumashugi shook his head, "The hospital, I mean,"
"What? You can't expect me to not have the baby in the hospital!"
Akumashugi looked at Tsuki, straight into the eyes, "Tsuki – listen," He then dropped his voice to a whisper. "I am a full blood demon. You have only less than a quarter of human blood in you, the rest of it is demon. This child will be by no means human. These doctors…" He put his hand cautiously on Tsuki's stomach. "…will see that and they may try to kill it. Do you understand? We can't have you have the child here. You need to have the baby somewhere more…obscure from the public's view,"
Tsuki paused, "I guess you're right. I remember when I was born, the doctor thought I was deformed because of my ears. But where would we go, Akumashugi?"
"I know the perfect place," Akumashugi said, "Hold onto me,"
Tsuki bit her lip, "…okay,"
Tsuki held onto Akumashugi and they disappeared out of the hospital within a few minuets, only leaving a puff of smoke.
Kikyo shook Rin awake. Rin stirred only a little and looked up at the woman. Rin had grow frail and afraid in the past hours; she was scared of everything around her in the other world. She was still shaking all over.
"Rin, I need you to do something for me," Kikyo said.
"Yes…?" Rin asked quietly.
"I know you have the second sight," Kikyo said, "and it is the most powerful gift, but have you ever attempted a technique known as dousing?"
"Dousing?"
"It is fairly hard, but I think you have an unusual amount of psychic powers for your age, possibly from being around Sesshoumaru all the time, and I believe you can do it, or attempt it tat the least. It is a fairly simple thing in which you take your mind and reach out to selected others, trying to locate them,"
Rin nodded, "I'll try my best,"
"I need you to locate the souls that belong to Shippou and Tsuki. They are the only two of the four that we need to make the Jewel of Four Souls,"
Rin nodded again. She concentrated as hard as possible and soon her eyes rolled back up into her head and she began to go into a trance.
"Rin!" Kikyo called, "Rin! Can you hear me?"
"Tsuki's soul…the soul is…far away…too far away…can't find…can't locate…but Shippou…Shippou's soul…Shippou's soul is…is….leaving!" Rin rasped in her trance, "His soul is…leaving him! He's dying! He'll die!"
Kikyo muttered a curse, "Rin! I need you to drive into Shippou's mind and try to bring him back from death!"
Rin groaned as her body jolted and she rolled all over the couch she was resting on. She let out an unearthly yell as her body convulsed, urging her to stop, "tsuki! tsuki! tsuki i'm so worried about you! how could you have done this to yourself, tsuki! it's my fault! it's my fault! it's my fault! that should be me, not you! not you, tsuki!"
Kikyo sighed as she tried to keep Rin calm, "Okay, Rin, you're inside of his mind. Now, Rin, you have to help him. You have to save Shippou or we'll all die,"
Inu-Yasha was having trouble sleeping. He wasn't used to be sleeping all alone ever since he had married Kagome (except that one time he said she looked fat when she was pregnant with Shukuen and she made him sleep in the basement). He rolled over onto his side in bed just as some noises came from Shukuen's room.
The noises were coming from Shukuen and Reichou. Shukuen was moaning and Reichou yelled out something. Inu-Yasha put the pillow over his head – he didn't have time to think about this. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to consider the thought of what his son and another boy were doing in the next room. The noises continued for a little while longer and soon died down. Inu-Yasha sighed.
Everything was going too fast. Far too fast. Tsuki would give birth. The father of his grandchild was a demon, who Kikyo said was the son of Naraku. It made Inu-Yasha shiver to think that Naraku and him were tied together by blood. There was no escaping such a bond.
Even after his death, Naraku was tormenting him.
Shippou's breaths were small and they burned as he sucked in air, but he was struggling now. He had to hold on…he had to hold on just a little bit longer, but then, he remembered Tsuki. He remembered that sweet little girl he had fallen in love with when he was younger. And now he remembered Tsuki, heavy with child, and bound to grow up a teenaged parent to a demon child. It wasn't her fate…it wasn't what she deserved…it was what he deserved…he was a worthless Kitsune with no true past or future…
…Shippou drifted down into the darkness as he closed his eyes. He drifted through the darkness of his mind, trying to find the bottom of the pit just so that he could close his eyes and remain there for all eternity. It had seemed to be hours before he found the bottom of the pit. He laid on the bottom and felt his eyelids grow heavy.
Shippou…
He scrunched his eyelids shut. He didn't want to be bothered.
Shippou…
He held them closed.
SHIPPOU…
Shippou sat up as he looked around in the darkness, 'Who's there?' The darkness began to fall apart as someone floated down towards Shippou. It was a girl about Shippou's age, with long black hair and she wore a red and yellow kimono. She was glowing brightly, like a little angel.
You cannot die yet Shippou. The girl answered, You have a hand in the prophecy and we need you to live or many will die. Thousands upon thousands. You must live so that others may if. If you die, others will die. It is a chain, Shippou, and you are a link in the chain.
Shippou glared at the girl, 'Who are you and why do you need me so much?'
My name is…Rin. The girl answered, And I need you to prevent the destruction of our worlds and stop the power of the Jewel of Four Angels.
Shippou paused, 'The doctors say I'm done for. How can YOU possibly keep me alive?'
Your soul is fleeting you, but I can help. I can install a mental block in your mind to keep some of your soul there in you. It will not be all of it, but it will be enough to keep you alive. You maybe a little...disabled though since you don't have all your soul.
Shippou smiled, 'Anything to stay alive. Do it,'
As you wish. This may hurt.
'It hurts for me to move, even to breathe. This'll be nothing,'
The darkness shook and Shippou felt his skin prickle as something shocked him. He yelped in pain and crumpled onto the pit, as still as ever.
Reichou only woke up a few hours later. Was it all a dream? Was what Shukuen did a dream? Reichou sat up and tried to move out of bed, only to find that his hips were hurting too much for him to walk. He looked around and realized he was naked. He then turned a little and glanced around the room. Everything appeared normal – except for one thing.
Shukuen was naked and they had been sharing a bed.
Reichou paused as some truths began to come to him: last night was not a dream, it was reality and it was truly a nightmare. He winced as he rubbed one of the claw marks left on him by Shukuen. He remembered as clear as day what had happened last night. He remembered Shukuen being all normal and okay, then all of a sudden he changed.
Shukuen's hair turned silver, he grew dog ears, and he grew claws – he had become a demon as he tackled Reichou and had his way with him. Reichou even remembered the terrible pain as Shukuen ravished him and he remembered the bleeding claw marks he made in his flesh as he moaned in pain.
Reichou couldn't do anything. Go tell his father? No way. Go tell his mother? Not even she would talk to him if he told her. Go tell an adult? They'd just treat him strangely. Go tell the police? They'd call him names and probably try to chase him out of town.
Reichou had no one to tell. Reichou was alone and all he could do now was cry. So, Reichou cried as silently as he could, so that no one would know.
The air was still chilly on the morning, so Akumashugi put his outer kimono over Tsuki to keep her warm. The cold didn't bother him. Tsuki looked around the area she had been brought to. It was some sort of forest, but it didn't look familiar to her. She looked around as she tried to identify the area.
"Where are we?" Tsuki breathed.
"There is a cabin nearby," Akumashugi answered, changing the subject, "you should lay down and rest. I don't want you on your feet too much, Tsuki," Tsuki touched her stomach as she felt pains starting to come from it. It was growing gain. Akumashugi saw her discomfort and made a face. "See? You're having pains already. Are you sure you're not having contractions or anything?"
"No, I'm okay," Tsuki answered, "it's just that the womb is growing again,"
"I'm not buying it," Akumashugi said. He pointed to a cottage on a small hill some feet away from them, "We need to get there. Let me carry you,"
"I'll be fine," Tsuki replied.
"No deal," Akumashugi answered as he picked Tsuki up from the ground, "I'm carrying you. As soon as we get to the cabin, I'll get you some food. You're probably just hungry,"
"But I feel fine!" Tsuki protested. She then winced from the growing pain in her belly.
Akumashugi continued carrying her, "I'm carrying you and that's that. You need to lie down and rest right now,"
Tsuki grumbled, seeing that there was no way she could win the argument. Akumashugi carried her the entire way to the cabin. The door was unlocked. The inside of the cabin was small and a little dusty, but it was still a good place to rest. Akumashugi gently placed Tsuki on the bed and then went to the fireplace, lighting the fire.
"Akumashugi…" Tsuki began.
"Yes?" Akumashugi answered.
"…what will happen if I go into labor here?" Tsuki asked.
'And that's exactly what I'm counting on. The Yousanjikai are here. I can sense it,' Akumashugi thought. He then turned to Tsuki, "Don't worry. If you go into labor, I'll deliver the baby,"
Tsuki looked at him, "Do you know how?"
"When you passed out in the hospital," Akumashugi answered, "you were alone in the room for a while and in the waiting room I found a pamphlet for pregnancy and such. It told me all I needed to know," He then got up from the fireplace and went to Tsuki's side. "I'll go get you something to eat. I'm putting up a barrier around the cabin so that no one will know you're here and come,"
Tsuki made a face, "You're leaving me here alone?"
"Only for a few minuets," Akumashugi answered, "and you're perfectly safe with the barrier up. You need to eat, Tsuki; you're feeding two now,"
Tsuki sighed, "…oh…okay then…"
Akumashugi kissed her and then teleported away.
The sound of cars honking and the sirens of police cars made Sesshoumaru nervous. He wasn't used to such strange, loud, noise, such bright flashing lights, and so many strange fumes in the air! Hoshimori and Takeyama were not phased as they climbed out of the well.
"We must go," Takeyama said to Sesshoumaru.
"Go where in this chaos?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"We sense that we must rejoin with this priestess Kikyo you have spoken of in the past," Hoshimori answered, "and we must hurry,"
"Yes, we are right," Takeyama added, "We only have a few minuets before the time of the Jewel of Four Angels,"
"Why must you speak so strangely?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"We are part of the Yousanjikai," Takeyama said, "We are cells in the body of the Yousanjikai,"
"And as I am him," Hoshimori answered, "He is I,"
"As I am with him, he is with I," Takeyama said, "For we are the Yousanjikai and we are as one in it's body,"
Sesshoumaru blinked as he processed this information, "…are you trying to tell me that you are…homosexual?"
Hoshimori and Takeyama paused. They curiously looked at each other for a few seconds and then looked back at Sesshoumaru.
"We do not know," Hoshimori answered.
"We may believe so," Takeyama answered, "but we are not sure,"
Sesshoumaru sighed, "It is of no matter. Where is the priestess Kikyo?"
"She is near," Takeyama said, after pausing.
"So let us leave then," Sesshoumaru said.
"Follow us," Hoshimori said.
Rin was gasping for air by the time Kikyo pulled her out of the trance. It had taken Kikyo a lot of energy to do the job.
"Well?" Kikyo asked as soon as Rin came too, "How did it go?"
"He is alive…he is well…" Rin gasped. She then looked at Kikyo, "…and he is handsome as well,"
The machine in the hospital began to beep as Shippou violently tossed and turned. The nurses came rushing in only to find that the Kitsune boy had sat up in bed and take out all the plugs and wires in him with grunts and groans of pain. The doctors and nurses stood in shock as Shippou crawled off the bed.
"It…" a nurse said; the same one that had come to Shippou from before, "…it's a miracle!"
"God be praised," muttered a doctor, "God be praised; his work has been done here,"
Shippou moved from the bed and walked towards the door. He opened his mouth and tired to speak, but only gurgles came out. Shippou tried to force out words, but nothing came out. It was as if he was an infant again and hadn't mastered the technique of speaking as of yet. The doctors and nurses looked concerned seeing that Shippou could no longer speak and tried to help him, but Shippou angrily pushed them away.
'Damn that witch,' Shippou thought, 'I knew she said I would be disabled but I didn't know it would be like this! Damn!' The doctor brought out an syringe and some nurses went to try and hold down Shippou. Shippou knocked them away and made a dash for the door. 'At least I can still run!'
Shippou kept on running through the hospital and eventually found an empty wheelchair and jumped into it and was soon rolling out of the hospital and out the doorway of it.
Kagome woke up to a commotion in the hallways. The door was cracked open a little. She sleepily got up from the chair: what time was it? She glanced at the clock on the wall to see that it was six in the morning. She went to the doorway and peeked out to see what was going on. She saw Shippou zooming down the hallway in a wheelchair. A few seconds after that, she saw some doctors and nurses chasing him.
Kagome was overjoyed: Shippou was himself again! She had to call Sango and tell her. Kagome turned around to get her cell phone in her bag when she saw the empty hospital bed and no trace of Tsuki or Akumashugi. Kagome didn't know what to do but she knew one thing was true: Tsuki was gone and she probably with Akumashugi.