Chapter 22
Kagome sighed gratefully. As the elven midwife had told her, she experienced no pain. She merely lay back against the pillows of her bed, eyes closed, waiting for all of this to be over.
She knew the twins would be eventually removed from her care and raised with the elven community. This had been the agreement and she was fine with it. It was her part of the age-old pact between holy mikos and elves. She would be allowed to see her children, but in the meantime she would care for them. As Hiro had told her, nothing could ever substitute a mother's love.
Sesshoumaru wasn't too pleased about it, for the most part. He wanted his mate to be free from the elves' influence (mainly Yuki's) so he could just go ahead and make her his. He was tired of waiting...not for her, though. He was sick of looking at that damned blond elf's face. He could almost swear he was getting an ulcer because that creep.
Kagome could feel her stomach muscles contracting. The midwife felt her tummy for awhile and nodded. It was time.
Yuki and Sesshoumaru were in the room. Sesshoumaru, at Kagome's request and Yuki because he said he was the father and he had his rights. Sesshoumaru gave him his best killing stare and growled low in his throat. Yuki gave him the finger.
The birthing was easy, despite it being Kagome's first time. The boy came first, screaming and flailing his tiny fists. The midwife took him and cleaned him up hurriedly while his twin sister took her time. Once he was clean, it was noted that he was fair-haired, just like his father. Yuki held his son gently, staring down into dark eyes that resembled Kagome's.
His daughter finally emerged into the midwife's hands. Dark haired and delicate, she was the quieter of the two. She stared wonderingly up at the woman who had delivered her. Her eyes were a brilliant emerald green.
Yuki handed Kagome their son. She was moved to tears by the tiny boy. He looked just like her, but with his father's coloring.
Before the midwife left them, she handed the little girl to Sesshoumaru and for a moment, he looked utterly at a loss for what to do. Babies weren't really his thing and he'd never really held one before. But this tiny infant was so sweet and beautiful he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Jealousy flooded his soul for a moment. It was unfair that these two tiny creatures were not his.
Her sparkling green eyes stared up at him for a moment, before closing. She fell asleep in his tender embrace.
He sensed Kagome staring at him. She smiled at the picture the two of them made.
"Here," he muttered, and handed her daughter to her.
Kagome took her and carefully balanced the newborns in her arms. "Wow," she whispered. "I can't believe that they're here." She smiled lovingly down at the two bundles, one sleeping peacefully, the other fussing and glaring at everybody.
Yuki took his daughter and let Kagome settle the angry boy. "Do you think we could be alone with OUR children, Sesshoumaru?" Yuki asked pointedly.
The emphasis on the word 'our' caused Sesshoumaru to stiffen defensively. "Hell no," he said immediately. "I do not trust you an inch with MY Kagome."
Yuki sneered and was about to give a nasty reply when Kagome yawned mightily. Yuki and Sesshoumaru looked at her. The infant was finally asleep and Kagome was nodding off.
Sesshoumaru took the boy and they left Kagome to sleep.
Kagome dreamt of babies. They were all around her, cooing and laughing. She went to one who looked a little lonely and picked it up. She held it and rocked it, but the baby never went to sleep. It lay there in her arms, staring up at her with huge, dark emotionless eyes...
Kagome realized with horror who this baby was. It grew and grew in her arms, forming into a figure she recalled from so very long ago.
"Kanna!" she cried and dropped her.
Kanna stared up at her, her mirror materializing in her small hands. "Miko, he has come for you. He wants you and the jewel you carry."
Kagome backed away and began to run in that slow, painful way you tend to run in your nightmares. When she had run for a long time and dared to look back, she saw Naraku, laughing at her.
Kagome didn't wake from her dream. Instead, Naraku came in through a window, letting the cold winter air into the warm room.
She shivered in her sleep as Naraku came to her bedside. Gently he picked her up from the bed and carried her back out of the window, onto the large feather and Kagura that awaited them.
In a swirl of winter air, they were gone.
Outside Kagome's room, everyone was oohing and ahhing over the babies. Yuki had just introduced his children to them; the boy was named Taiyo and his sister was named Karasu.
As soon as everyone had gotten a good look at the twins, they had awoken at the same time, screaming their little heads off.
Nobody knew what to do. Sango tried rocking Taiyo, while Hiro did the same with his niece. Still, nothing worked.
"Maybe they're hungry," Miroku remarked casually. "Don't babies usually cry when they're hungry?"
Kouga nodded and Inuyasha burst into Kagome's bedroom. "Oi, Kagome! Those brats of yours are ..."
The window was flung wide open and the bedroom was empty.
"KAGOME!" Kouga roared as he ran to the open window. There was a two story drop, but no sign of Kagome.
Everyone else rushed in, wondering what was going on. "What's happened?" Sesshoumaru demanded. His eyes were already crimson.
"She's gone!" Inuyasha yelled. "Where the hell did she go?"
Sesshoumaru's snarl was his answer. "Naraku!" he growled and took off through the window. How dare that filthy hanyou steal his mate. He would pay for this with his pathetic life...and THIS time, he wouldn't be able to come back.
A/N: Hey guys, thanks for being patient. Sorry I couldn't update sooner, but the other night I was working until 6am and was too tired to post this. Hope y'all in enjoy it!
rsb
