A/N: Sorry for the evil cliffie…those who know my mindset know that in that particular instance, I had to do it! Here's the next chapter! I hope you guys like it!

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My Only Hope
Chapter Twenty-Six

Inuyasha paled. "Kagome, what's wrong?"

Kagome took a deep breath. "My stomach," she groaned. "I think…the babies are coming early…" she whispered, clutching her stomach with her hands and gasping for breath. "It hurts…" she cried.

Jin and Inutaisho exchanged worried glances, and each looked at his mate.

Inutaisho frowned. "It isn't uncommon that the pups would come early…especially since there is more than likely more than one. Izayoi, Akira…you guys may want to get out of here. Kouga, take Souta, Kohaku, and the others into the forest and hang out in there someplace safe until we tell you everything is all right…"

"What do you mean? Aren't we going to help with the birthing process?" asked Eri.

Jin shook his head. "You aren't going to want to be here. It will be dangerous. You could actually get hurt. The pups will be born as pups. They will change into their normal state after their birth…but in order for them to be born as pups, that also means that Kagome…"

"Kagome is going to transform? Cool!" shrieked Souta, jumping up and down in his excitement.

"Not cool, Souta. That's going to be one really big dog…" his mother warned him. "Come on, now. Let's hurry and get out of the way…"

Jin nodded. "Don't worry. Once Inuyasha has transformed, we will be able to transform and help him guard Kagome throughout her labor. Everything will be fine. It should be done and over with in just a little while if we get lucky…"

"What are you talking about?" growled Kagome. "What haven't you told me?"

Inuyasha paled. "We're going to transform?" he whispered. "But what about…"

"You'll be perfectly able to control yourself, Inuyasha." His father told him. "You won't be transforming out of anger, but out of a need to protect your mate. These two things are completely different circumstances. There is nothing to worry about."

Inuyasha nodded. "How are we going to know when it will all happen?"

"When Kagome's water actually breaks is when it will begin." Jin told the two of them. He glanced at Kagome. "The transformation will not be painful at all, and will only take a second or two. The birth…well…you won't be so lucky there, but you'll be all right…"

Kagome nodded, taking yet another deep breath. She could feel the pressure building, and then suddenly, there was none. Her water had broke.

Kouga rallied everyone near the spot where the bone eater's well once stood. Now, all that remained of this landmark was several small splinters of wood, and a select few demon bones that hadn't either been swallowed by the earth or carried off by other demons.

"What do we do now?" whined Souta.

Kouga blinked. "We wait. Inuyasha would chew on us like a chicken leg if we got too close to Kagome in the state she's in right now."

"What do they look like?" asked Yuka.

"Who?" Izayoi smiled.

"Jin and Inutaisho…Kagome and Inuyasha…when they transform, I mean?" she clarified.

Izayoi laughed. "It's nothing too special sweetie. They change into giant white dogs that are several feet high and absolutely deadly to most enemies. I don't know, though. Kagome may transform into a black or brown one, as her hair color remained the same…" Izayoi paused to think about this for a moment.

Yuka nodded. "And where is…"

"I'm right here," Sesshoumaru announced, coming into the clearing. "I'll be staying with you guys. They have all the help they need right now."

"You were out there?" Souta's eyes widened in admiration.

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Yes. They've transformed already…."

Almost immediately after her water broke, Kagome felt a burst of energy unlike anything she had ever felt before in her life… which was pleasantly surprising, considering her current predicament. She gasped. A second ago, the ground was a mere glance downwards. Suddenly, Kagome looked down, and the ground was at least six feet below her gaze. She had transformed quicker than she could even realize.

She suddenly found herself covered in thick ebony fur from her head down to her paws. She had two pointy ears atop her head, a feature which she had already grown quite used to, claws that personified the definition of huge, and a long beautiful black tail to match.

Looking to her left and right, she saw that her father, Jin, and Inuyasha looked almost exactly the same as one another. She could tell them apart by their scents, and the fact that she and Inuyasha were at least two feet shorter than her father or Inutaisho were.

Inuyasha stood by her side. Guarding the two of them on either side was Inutaisho and Jin, who had sworn to protect them until after the pups were born.

There was none of the usual hustling and bustling around the village like there usually was. All the villagers had holed themselves up in their homes, and away from the possible threat that the four large dog demons could cause.

Sesshoumaru coughed. "I don't think it will be too much longer now," he told the group. "Mind you, I won't be walking out into the middle of it all to check anytime soon, but you understand…"

Eri and Yuka nodded. "What will the babies look like?"

Akira laughed. "Like miniature versions of Kagome and Inuyasha. I bet they are going to be beautiful…" she smiled. "I wonder what they are going to name them?" She stopped and placed her finger to her temple in thought, as if this had only just occurred to her.

"I'm sure everything will be just fine," Izayoi nodded. "Inutaisho named Inuyasha. He named him, and then…" she paused. There was no need to open up that can of worms.

Sango cleared her throat. "Well, I'm really excited about it!" she smiled. "I'm going to be an aunt!"

Miroku laughed at the silly look of pride that Sango had plastered on her face and smiled to himself. If the mere thought of Kagome'spups got her this excited, how happy would she be when she finally got to have her own family?

"Eh, Sango?" he whispered.

Sango immediately reddened. "Don't say a word. Not in front of my brother or Kagome's, or Shippo…" she whispered. "And god forbid you let Rin hear anything crooked…Sesshoumaru would kill you…"

"But I wasn't going to…" Miroku stammered.

"I'm not having any of your children until I am absolutely sure that they will be able to live a perfectly happy and normal life…so until Kagome and Inuyasha are safe, it's sort of out of the question…"

Miroku's eyebrow rose. "Sort of out of the question?" he repeated, a lecherous glint in his eye. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Miroku!" Sango whined, trying to hide her blushing. "Shut up! If one of the children hear you, I swear I'll…"

"Hear what?" asked Shippo.

The group jumped up in excitement. Jin was coming into the clearing. He smiled at them. "It's done. Everything went perfectly fine." He reported.

Sesshoumaru nodded his approval. He was the first one to follow Kagome's father out of the forest and back to the village, where he found his father sitting with Kagome and Inuyasha inside their new hut.

Inuyasha looked completely relieved. Kagome, understandably, looked very tired. She was lying comfortably on the tatami mat in her and Inuyasha's room, cradling an infant in each arm.

Sesshoumaru smiled at his brother, one of his rare smiles that only came out once every few hundred years, and pat him squarely on the back. "Two, eh? Hope you're not willing to pull your hair out in a month or two. Which one is older?" he asked curiously.

The rest of the group was waiting outside. They would take turns going in to congratulate Kagome and Inuyasha, rather than try to crowd themselves into the room all at once.

Inuyasha smiled back at his brother. "Neither one is older." He told him.

"Ah…twins…" Sesshoumaru nodded.

"A boy and a girl…" Kagome whispered softly, rocking each of them back and forth.

Again, Sesshoumaru nodded. "Yes, well, I'll take my leave for a while and go play with Rin. You've got many others that wish to congratulate you, you know…" he bowed and quietly left the room.

Akira and Izayoi came in with Souta next. Souta smiled when he saw his new little niece and nephew.

The little girl in Kagome's left arm was an exact miniature replica of Inuyasha. She had perfect skin, large, beautiful golden orbs, and Inuyasha's silky silver mane. She was currently sleeping soundly in Kagome's arms, and had one of her fingers in a death grip.

The little boy on Kagome's right looked like a perfect mixture between Kagome and Inuyasha. He had golden eyes like both his parents and sister, and the same flawless skin shared by the rest of his family. His hair, however, was neither silver nor black, but had settled itself on a happy medium in-between the two. His hair was still considerably dark, but it was more of a brownish color than anything else.

Kagome laughed slightly. He was wide awake and eagerly looking around the room. Occasionally, the small ears perched atop his head would twitch at a noise, and he would glance to his mother for reassurance.

Kagome sat up and handed the sleeping baby girl to a very happy Inuyasha, and glanced up to Izayoi and Akira. "Would one of you like to hold him?" she asked.

Akira nodded willingly, and carefully took the baby boy out of Kagome's arms.

Groaning, Kagome resituated herself, and smiled at her mother.

"They're beautiful children, Kagome." Akira whispered, and Kagome nodded.

Izayoi scratched the small child's ears lightly and glanced at Kagome, a question in her eyes. "Did you name them yet?" She turned to Inuyasha, and then back to Kagome.

Inuyasha sighed. "No, we haven't…" he thought about it a moment. "And I don't know what to name them…" he decided.

"They're so cute!" Souta whispered.

"Thank you, Souta." Kagome smiled. Kagome turned to her mother and Izayoi. "What do you think we should name them? Do you have any suggestions?" she asked. "Inuyasha and I haven't been able to come up with any we like yet…"

After some time of discussion about the issue, it was decided that Inuyasha's son would be called Toku. Their daughter would be named Taka. Inuyasha's father thought it would be a good idea to name Inuyasha and Kagome's children after some of the qualities that were strong about them. Inuyasha and Kagome agreed.

By the next day, everyone had calmed down.

Kagome chuckled. "Their names even rhyme…" she mused.

"What's wrong with that?" Inuyasha blinked.

"Nothing." Kagome shrugged. "I love it. I just never pictured myself having twins…much less with you, to tell you the truth…"

Inuyasha sighed. "I know. It does seem kind of like a dream sometimes. Like I'm making all this up in my head…especially with as peaceful as things have been around here the last couple of months…"

"Giving you a false sense of security, is it?" asked Inutaisho, leaning on the hut door.

"Maybe." Inuyasha admitted. "But I'm not planning on letting my guard down until all of the danger has passed."

"Yes, but Kagome went into labor early…" Inutaisho reminded them. "Unless the bad guy is me or Jin, they don't know that, which means we still have over a month to prepare for the attack that Ayame has warned us will come."

Kagome cradled Taka in her arms. "This is going to be one fight I won't let them win."

"Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered. "Nothing bad is going to happen. I am going to make sure of that, okay?"

Kagome growled. "Don't you dare talk to me like you're going to go run off and find them all by yourself, Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha frowned. "I won't."

"Promise me." Kagome demanded.

Inuyasha sighed. "All right," he nodded. "I promise."

Toku began to cry, but it was Yuka who got to him first. She tried to pick him up, but screamed when she reached out for him and could not grab him. "Kagome! Inuyasha! What is going on here?" she called.

Inuyasha and Kagome came running. Yuka was standing next to Toku's crib looking very worried. Kagome gasped in surprise. She could tell what he had done. It was nothing to worry about…unless she thought too hard about the fact that her baby boy, who was barely a day old, had formed a barrier to keep the unknown Yuka from touching him.

"Toku…" Kagome sighed. "Put the barrier down…"

"Barrier?" Inuyasha's jaw dropped to the floor.

"Yes, Inuyasha. A barrier. He doesn't know Yuka, so he put up a barrier to keep her out. That's what I'm guessing anyway…"

Inutaisho frowned. "Inuyasha…Kagome…" he whispered. "This may be a little bit more complicated than we originally guessed it would be. These children are going to be a lot stronger than originally anticipated…"

Kagome nodded. "Yeah. I figured that out the minute we came into the room." She looked at her small son. "Toku…be nice to your aunt Yuka, okay? She's good. She loves you…"

Toku laughed, and put the barrier down. Inuyasha picked him up and nuzzled his cheek. "Aw, you were just playing, weren't you?" he cooed.

"Inuyasha…it isn't funny. If they find out…" Inutaisho frowned.

"The only way any of them will find out is if someone who knows runs off and tells them what is going on, right? And I can trust all of you not to betray me and my family, can't I?" he glanced at each person in the room in turn.

Izayoi sighed. "We're sorry for sounding harsh about it, sweetie. We are only worried about you is all. I don't want anything to happen to my beautiful new grandchildren, either. No one is going to tell…"

"Mommy…" Shippo tugged at Kagome's haori.

Kagome looked down. "Yes, Shippo?" Kagome asked, placing Taka gently in her crib. "What is it?"

"Something doesn't smell right outside," Ayame reported. "Kouga and I are going to go check it out. The smell is coming from Kouga's lands anyway. He's a bit worried about leaving the tribe alone. We'll be back soon enough…" she promised.

"What do you mean something doesn't smell right?" Kagome repeated.

"That's what I was trying to tell you!" Shippo whined.

Kagome nodded. "Thank you, sweetie." Kagome looked back up to Ayame. "Will the two of you be all right on your own?"

"You aren't leaving those babies alone. We'll handle it." Ayame smirked, and quickly left the hut without another word.

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "I wonder what's going on this time?" he sighed.

"I doubt it has anything to do with Kagome or Inuyasha. It's too soon for that. Whoever has been trying to hurt them is going to want to figure out just what they are up against first…and considering that they didn't see what Toku did earlier, I think we're in the clear for now…" Yuka told him.

Sesshoumaru nodded in agreement. "That's exactly what I was thinking…which is good. I like the way you think. If you could fight, you'd be pretty useful…"

Yuka's mouth dropped open. Sesshoumaru…commenting her? Had she hit her head? Was she asleep, and the short yet odd conversation had been nothing but a figment of her imagination?

"Yuka…" Sesshoumaru repeated.

She blinked, and looked up. Kagome had Toku in her arms, and was glancing back and forth from Sesshoumaru to Yuka with a mischievous gleam in her eye. "Could you two watch him for me while I make dinner? Sango and Miroku are playing with Taka…and I should be done in about half an hour…"

Yuka nodded. "Uh…okay…" she blushed. She didn't like getting caught thinking too much.

Kagome began to boil the water for the rice she was making. She began to boil an extra pot for Inuyasha's ramen. Suddenly, she felt unnaturally tired, as if she was going to doze off whilst leaning over the fire. She blinked.

"Someone get them out of here!" screamed Inuyasha. He pulled his sword from its sheath, and the Tesseiga glistened threateningly in the sunlight. "Hurry up, damn it! Run Shippo!"

"Inuyasha, you don't have to stay! Go!" Inutaisho commanded. "We'll hold them off!"

"It's my family, damn it!" Inuyasha growled his response.

"But Inuyasha!" Kagome sobbed.

"Kagome!" Above her, Sango was riding Kirara, and waiting for her to jump on. Shippo joined the demon slayer after a fearful look at his father. "Come on, Kagome…" Sango whispered. "We've got to get you out of here!"

Kagome shook her head. She had a baby in each arm. Inuyasha stood protectively in front of her and his pups. "Inuyasha, please, don't…" Kagome pleaded. "Come with me!"

"They'll be killed, Kagome! I have to help protect you and the pups!" Inuyasha retaliated.

"You'll be killed too, damn it!" Kagome screamed.

"Kagome, just go! I'll catch up with you later! I…"

Inuyasha yelped, and Kagome screamed. She saw the sharp edge of the sword sticking out of Inuyasha's midsection. Its wielder pulled it back, and Inuyasha coughed and dropped to his knees, looking very surprised.

"Kagome!" Sango screamed.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried. "Get up…I've seen you take more than this! You'll be all right! Get up, damn it!" she screamed at him.

He coughed, smiling at her and slowly beginning to get to his feet when he yelped again and fell back to the floor. Kagome didn't see the arrows until it was too late. Again, she screamed.

Kagome yelped as she nearly fell forward into the fire. She felt Inuyasha's strong arms pull her away from the flames, and into his comforting embrace. She shivered, and began to cry.

"What happened?" Inuyasha wondered. "Are you okay? Why did you fall? Please, Kagome…calm down…and just tell me what happened…" he pleaded.

Kagome took a deep calming breath. "I was making dinner…and I felt like I was falling asleep. It was that dream again, Inuyasha. It was that terrible dream…the exact same as it was last time…" she repeated, her voice shaking slightly.

Inuyasha wrapped her in a tight hug, rocking her back and forth. "It'll be all right, Kagome. I think I should hear about this dream, though. Tell me everything. Does it have anything to do with the twins?"

Kagome nodded as Inutaisho, Jin, Izayoi, and her mother joined them. Once they had all sat down, Kagome began to tell them everything about the horrible dream that she had now experienced twice…

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A/N: Okay, I know I was trying to stray away from cliffies, but I'm going to go to bed, so I'll update again soon if you promise to review….:D