DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha. However give me the money, the time, and the artistic abilities and I'll kidnap the writer and masquerade as her.
AN: I beg for your forgiveness I swear I had no intention to not update. But I had a last minute trip to visit a sick uncle, and then my computer, curse it, finally decided to tell me it had a bug, you want to know how it decided to tell me? It would let me load my computer and then shut down in exactly one minute. Fun huh? So in extreme forgiveness I give you this chapter, and the next chapter. All in one day, and I humble ask your forgiveness.
Review responses will show in the next chapter. And finally you should be noticing that this fic changes every other chapter, this chapter is in Kagome's POV (first person) the next with be in Inuyasha's POV (third person) and so on, till the end.
A Silver Heart
Without Goodbye (Part 4/12)
By Wyltk
"Kagome, she had the baby! Yasaon'a had our baby! Wait… How did you get back here on your legs… I forgot you! I'm sorry! Sorry Kagome!" Ikatsui stared down at me and I smiled up at him weakly.
"It's alright, some friends helped me get back." I said and he blinked at me.
"Friends?"
"Yea these large red rats, in the clearing you passed me in."
"You met the Fire Rats!" disbelieve colored his voice.
"Yes." I looked up at him noticing the shock that changed his normally impassive features.
"You're a very special girl Kagome." he said and his eyes sparkling at me strangely.
"Thank you, Ikatsui. So how is she? What did she have?"
"She fine, both her and our little boy. Now come on I'll help you in. You'll have to tell my mate about your experience with the Fire Rats when she wakes up. She loves to hear of them."
He smiled at me and picked me up easily bringing me into the hut and sitting me on the futon. I immediately situated myself and picked up the blanket I had been sewing for the baby. I started working on it as he smiled at me.
"The Healer might come check on Yasaon'a and the baby. She knows you stay with us so she won't hurt you. She's a variation of the kangaroo demon, so you'll know what to expect. I'll be back as soon as I can. Please take care of them."
I nodded and he moved over smoothing his wife's hair apologetically. Slowly he reach out to touch his boys forehead before quickly bounding out the door.
I continued to work on the blanket, almost feverously. So an hour later when I heard a strange sound outside the small hut it took my crucial seconds to position myself in front of Yasaon'a and the small kit. It hurt like the dickens after exerting myself for so long, but I knew I couldn't let them be hurt. I had promised I would watch over them not only to Ikatsui but to myself as well.
A rather large demon opened the door and hopped in softly staring at me. She sniffed and blinked at me in surprise. It was a moment before I recognized the kangaroo like features of the demon in front of me. I relaxed unconsciously sliding to the floor rather then stand on my aching legs.
"You're bleeding, Friend."
I blinked in shock but before I could move to staunch the flow coming from a rather large cut on my leg she had bandages out and ready. She quickly cleaned the cut and bound it tightly before helping me up. She half carried me over to my futon before helping me to sit instructing me to keep my leg elevated. She bowed formally and I managed to bow partially to her with a small smile. She returned the smile and quickly bent over to look at Yasaon'a and the baby.
"Don't worry about the cut. Probably from running after Ikatsui as you did. It proably just reopened when you got up. You're lucky you weren't hurt worse then you were, you know. Your legs are just now starting to heal, you shouldn't be running yea. I'm surprised you're even walking! Maybe in a month or two you will regain some of the strength in them but there is no way to be sure right now. You could hurt yourself worse then you already are!"
She picked up the small baby boy and began to check him over fully before carefully nestling him against his mother. She smoothed the boy's hair and I watched as she began to pack up her supplies. She had a small pouch just like a real kangaroo and was using it as a hold for all her stuff.
"Have they named him yet?"
"I don't know. She hasn't woken yet and Ikatsui was in a hurry to leave so he could get back."
I smiled at her as she shook her head and hopped towards the door. "Do try and be careful. You only have two legs and no demon healing abilities."
It was only a few hours after the odd women had left me to myself but I had already finished the blanket I had been working on. Yasaon'a had asked me to make one part of the two part set. Mine was to cushion him in the little bed they had made for him while hers was larger then mine to keep him warm.
I placed my blanket into the bed carefully checking to be sure it wouldn't let anything hard poke through to his sensitive skin. I smiled softly as I crawled over to Yasaon'a checking on her and the baby. I reach up a hand cautiously smoothing it against the baby's soft, surprisingly thick hair. I was about to crawl back to my cot when Yasaon'a opened her eyes and looked up at me with a small smile.
"Would you like to hold him Kagome?"
I looked at her in amazement of the suggestion and she held him out towards me. I carefully picked him up from her arms and cuddled him close to my body. I ran a finger down his face smiling at his soft cheek. The breath that I had been unconsciously holding left in a rush and I looked up at Yasaon'a.
"Ikatsui never told me… Have you named him?"
"Shippo."
Something swished against my hand and I glanced down to find two tails had escaped the bundle of blankets and were twitching back and forth softly. I smiled slowly.
"I like that name."
~*~
It was only three weeks later before I was walking around more then I had been in a long time, though admittedly with the help of a walking stick. It still hurt but I had been pushing myself to go farther and farther. Every time I walked I would be sure to massage my legs to keep any soreness from setting in and every time Yasaon'a would tisk at me.
But I forced myself onwards something inside me pushing me to work them into shape incase something happened. And if there was one thing my mother had taught me it was to always trust my feelings.
~*~
"Yasaon'a! I got the water!" I laughed lightly as I set my walking stick outside the door. I brought the bucket up to her and sat it down before walking over to my futon and sitting down stiffly. I smiled as I heard her quickly place the water in the appropriate place as I started to massage my legs slowly sighing as my hands began to loosen the tightened muscles.
"I wish you would stop pushing yourself so hard. Even the healer said it would take a month or two before you legs regained full strength."
Yasaon'a shook her head as I just smiled at her and went over to check on the sleeping Shippo. Once she was sure he was fine she plopped herself down in front of me.
"You know you told me all about what happened with the Fire Rats but I have yet to tell you anything. What would you like to know?" Yasaon'a asked and I started out of my thoughts to examine her question.
"I've always wondered about their strange fur, could you start with that?"
"Of course, let's see. Their fur is some of the most valuable material used for clothing. Especially in the case of warriors. It has the ability to deflect swords and fire. The problem is it's hard to get. There's only two ways of getting it. Killing them is one way and the other is for them to give their fur freely. However, very few people are given the fur, though it grows back almost immediately, they have to deem them worthy of it. A difficult feat in a Fire Rat's eyes."
I smiled slowly and was about to ask another question when Shippo woke up with a wail, wanting his rightful attention. Yasaon'a rushed to his side and picked him up holding him close, smiling when he stopped crying almost immediately.
"Would you like me to take Shippo outside for a while? I promised the Fire Rat's I would visit."
"That would be wonderful! If you'll just let me pack up some things you might need."
I smiled at the women as she let Shippo lay gently in my arms. She bustled about the room putting a rather large blanket down and then stuffing his own blanket she had made him in it, along with a bottle of milk, and a rather large loaf of bread. I blinked at her strange choices but smiled at her.
"Don't worry Yasaon'a, I'll take good care of him."
"I know you will dear, you'll be a great mother someday."
Yasaon'a hugged the girl and then hugged her baby close. I could tell something was worrying her but she smiled at me anyways. I turned slightly to see her watching us as we skipped out of the door.
"Take care, I love you!" she yelled after us and I turned fully and waved to her before running off.
~*~
I smiled down at Shippo who was spread out on blanket by my feet. A small group of Fire Rat children had gathered around and were playing a game of ball with him. A group of adults were gathered around me as they did various things. I myself had just finished a big part of a gift I had been working on for Ikatsui and Shippo.
Shippo's was finished but I had wanted to finish Ikatsui's before I showed them to Yasaon'a and Ikatsui. At the moment Ikatsui's Fire Rat coat was done just needed a bit more length. Yasaon'a would love the gifts. She was always worrying about her boys being hurt.
I picked up Shippo and stuffed the Fire Rat cloth into a small rock crevice where it would be protected from the elements. Gathering the uneaten bread, milk, and blankets I spoke a quick good by to the Fire Rats and started back towards the hut, Shippo resting securely on my hip.
Shippo's happy mummers came to a slow stop and he began to whimper before burrowing his face into my shirt. I sniffed curiously as he had done moments before and noticed the heavy smell of smoke. Frowning I moved closer to our home, moving the foliage back enough to see the entrance.
Instead of the quiet humming of Yasaon'a or the booming voice of Ikatsui, waiting for us just outside the door, there was a blazing fire cackling loudly as it poured from the door and roof. In front of the door stood five large demons standing over the transformed body of Ikatsui and his untransformed mate, Yasaon'a. I couldn't seem any sign of movement from them. I gulped realizing that they were probably dead, judging by the large pool of blood stretched out from each of them.
The arm holding Shippo tightened my hand coming up to keep his face pressed into my shoulder. Without a second thought I turned running into the forest as quietly and quickly as I could manage. I had to get away from the hut, from the demons. But mere seconds after I started to run, I heard crashing behind me and regardless of the noise I ran full speed. I made it to the clearing I had been mere minutes before and dug my hand into the crevice in the rock digging out the fire rat kimono's uncaring of the rock tearing gashes into my hand. They wrenched free with a final tug and I kept running. I made a wide circle before rushing into the direction of the creek.
I didn't pause once I reached the rushing creek and quickly flung myself into the middle holding the baby and my bundle as high as I could above my head, while keeping them safe. I pushed myself upstream praying they wouldn't be able to catch my scent in the moving waters. I managed to push my weak legs for at least in hour before they began to betray me, making me trip and stumble over small rocks and other various items. Still I pushed myself listening for any sounds of my pursuers.
It was beyond night fall when I finally made it to land my legs having given out many times causing my kimono to drag as I pulled myself onto the bank. With a sigh I brought the whimpering Shippo towards me giving him the small pouch of milk thankful for Yasaon'a intuition. And on the cold bank, limp in my exhaustion, I cried for Yasaon'a and Ikatsui and the ruined child hood of the small kit in my arms, I cried for them late into the night until I fell asleep. The last time I allowed myself to cry, not only for what they lost, but what I had lost as well.
May the speed of the wolf go with you,
Megaera Wyltk
