Disclaimer: I am not Rumiko Takashi…I cannot draw nor did I create the plot for the INUYASHA series…I wish I did…*sigh*

Love Me as I Am

Chapter 15- New Found Friends

Kunara kneeled down next to her mother's lifeless body and wept. She was alone now. She couldn't go back to Naraku or he would surely kill her for not trying hard enough and letting Inuyasha and the others escape.

Where was she to turn? She began to hope a demon would come out of the bushes and kill her…get it over with. She thought that best. She was too young to fend for herself and her arrows had been destroyed and were now lying scattered on the ground.

The bushes rustled and a teenage girl in an orange checkered Kimono wandered out and over to her. She waited as the girl studied her for a moment.

"Lord Sesshomaru." the woman said as the little green toad Jaken scurried out of the woods, followed closely by Sesshomaru himself.

"Look." She said, pointing her finger at Kikyo's deceased body.

Sesshomaru nodded.

"Good job Rin."

Rin smiled. She enjoyed praise. Especially praise from her favorite person in the world.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" she asked.

"Hm?"

"Are you going to bring the woman back to life with tenseiga?"

Sesshomaru pondered this for a moment.

"No. I'm not. If I am correct, this woman has been dead for a very long time. This is not the body she was born into. I recognize her. In her early life…she was my brothers mate."

Rin nodded.

"Never mind her. We shall take the girl however." He said, kneeling next to Kunara.

"Tell me. What is your name?"

Kunara said nothing.

"Very well then. Come along with us anyway. I see you've no where else to go. Was she your mother?"

Kunara nodded but mentioned nothing of Naraku. Sesshomaru's eyes looked right through her as if he had an inkling. But he didn't mention it either.

She stood up and was pulled away by Rin who had taken her hand and seemed sort of happy to have a new member in the group.

"Let me take you to Ah and Un. They're the best demons in the land, next to Lord Sesshomaru of course." she said smiling.

~*~*~

Miroku dressed Inuyasha's wounds but had to do it three times because he kept bleeding through.

"I didn't know one hanyou could have this much blood." He said after he put on the last dressing. The bleeding had stopped for the most part. He began to clean up the floor.

Inuyasha sighed. He was exhausted. Unlike the first time Kagome had had the babies, he couldn't stay by her side constantly. He had to switch places with her and Suki every so often. (A/N-Have any of you seen 'Father of the Bride'?)

~*~*~

Trinity wrapped her arms around Kanaye's neck.

"I'm proud of you. Did you know that?" she said as she nuzzled his nose.

Kanaye smiled.

Suddenly the mood was interrupted by two screams.

"Suki." Kanaye whispered.

Trinity smiled.

"Yes. AND your mother."

"What? Her too?" Geez. Maybe we should go inside and see if we can help."

Trinity nodded.

They walked inside together hand in hand.

Inuyasha didn't notice Kanaye and therefore said nothing to him about Kikyo. Trinity let go of Kanaye's hand and sat next to Suki, putting a washcloth on her head.

Inuyasha let out a sigh of relief. Both his hands had been squeezed to death but now Trinity could take care of Suki so he would at least get somewhat of a break.

~*~*~

Miroku leaned against the wall, his head lolled off to the side.

Hours had passed and everyone was tired. Neither Kagome nor Suki had given birth yet. They were both sleeping.

"I do not know what's wrong. Aye. It makes me wonder if the scare of whatever happened to ye made them go into an early labor."

Inuyasha blinked then looked down at the floor.

"It was my sister Kikyo was it not?"

Inuyasha said nothing. He had talked to Kanaye a little while ago. Kikyo was gone for good.

"Aye. That's what I thought." She said, wringing out another washcloth and setting it on Kagome's temple.

"She's got a fever." Inuyasha alerted her.

"I see. Arigato Inuyasha."

Inuyasha nodded. He could barely keep his eyes open but at the same time he couldn't sleep. He had too much on his mind.

Kaede put the old washcloth into the water and rinsed it off.

"Inuyasha. I know ye have a lot to think about but ye need to rest. If Kagome and Suki are able to rest than ye most certainly can."

The depressed Inuyasha sighed but made no attempt to lay down.

'Why do I still feel like this about Kikyo? She wasn't real. That wasn't even her. He didn't kill her. Not the Kikyo I came to know. Naraku did.'

Kagome could feel something wrong and she opened her eyes. She saw Inuyasha sitting alone cross-legged on the floor with his hands in his lap.

"Inu…yasha. Come lay with me."

He nodded slowly and crawled over, getting under the covers and lying close to Kagome, feeling her warmth against his body.

"Inuyasha. Are you thinking about Kikyo?" she whispered, stroking the hair out of his face with her hand.

"Don't be afraid to talk to me. It's all right. I'm listening."

Her voice. It was so soothing to him. How could she talk to him so calmly like that and not be mad?

"Kagome. I don't deserve you."

Kagome looked him in the eyes.

"Don't say that." She breathed, leaning closer to him and kissing his cheek.

"I love you more than anything."

A small smile tugged at the corner of Inuyasha's lips.

"Well. That's nice to know isn't it?"

"Mm hmm."

She nudged closer to him. For some reason, every day, every minute seemed brighter with him at her side. He truly was just an overgrown puppy.

Inuyasha reached his hand under the bright red fleece blanket and set it on her stomach.

"So. Whatda ya think it's gonna be this time?" he wondered.

Kagome smiled.

"Beats me."

"I'm going for another girl." He told her as she blinked amazed by the statement.

"But…I thought you wanted another boy, like Kanaye. What happened?"

"I guess this one sorta grew on me." He said quietly, tilting his head in the direction of Suki's sleeping form.

Kagome nodded.

"It's been really stressful for her. Even I don't know what she's going through."

Inuyasha moved his hand gently across her stomach.

"Must be sleepin' huh?"

"What? Oh…" Kagome said, confused at first by the change of subject.

"Yeah. I don't feel nothin'." He said, moving his hand off her stomach and onto her cheek, caressing it then kissing her full on the mouth.

After a while, he broke the kiss as the two tried to catch their breath.

"Inuyasha…I…"

"Shhh…you need to get some rest."

Kagome nodded and wrapped her arms comfortably around his waist.

Inuyasha closed his amber eyes contentedly and waited to hear Kagome's slow and steady breathing meaning she was asleep. When he heard it he was happy and shortly after, he too followed her into a beautiful dreamless sleep.