When Sesshoumaru finally arrived after nearly a day of strenuous travel, he received only cold looks and equally cold shoulders.
He spied Matsu amongst the crowd and approached the green-winged Earth Angel in the hope of finally obtaining answers.
"Matsu, may I have a word?"
The man glared at him. "No."
"Why do all of you avoid my questioning?" Sesshoumaru demanded, his patience wearing thin.
"Look," Matsu replied hotly. "We owe you nothing. Probably the only reason you haven't been attacked since walking into our forest is because of that," he said, pointing to the pendant that was slightly visible above his sash.
"What reason do you have to attack me? We fight the same battle."
"Satu was the one to decide that, and the power's going to his head. Besides that, after what you put Kagome through, even the most peaceful of us would be happy to bring about your death."
"What happened to Kagome? That is what I am trying to find out."
Matsu only scoffed and walked away.
Sesshoumaru merely watched him go, reining in his anger and confusion. Turning his head away from the retreated figure, he met the eyes of his mother.
She approached him, and her eyes held sympathy. "Come, Sesshoumaru, and I shall tell you what has befallen Kagome."
Grateful, Sesshoumaru followed his mother back to her room. She gestured for him to sit beside her on the futon, and he complied.
Naomi opened her mouth to begin speaking, but Sesshoumaru was impatient to know one thing above all else. "Mother, is Kagome pregnant?"
"She was pregnant, Sesshoumaru."
"But dog demons give birth after six months. Do Earth Angels…?"
His mother nodded forlornly. "Yes. They give birth after four."
Sesshoumaru appeared relieved. "So nothing happened. Where is the child?"
"No, Sesshoumaru. Something did happen." Sesshoumaru's face became etched with worry. "Kagome was fighting and…"
"She did not know she was pregnant?" His mind was reeling. He should have told her immediately, but had thought that he would have more time, that they would have more time. "If I had finished my training earlier, or if I had found her earlier, I could have warned her…"
"No, my son," Naomi quieted his torrent of thoughts. "She knew. She fought anyway. Apparently all Earth Angels do. And her father would not give her special treatment. She is one of their best fighters, I hear."
"What happened?" Sesshoumaru asked grimly.
"A battle that she should not have fought. She was to give birth soon, or so everyone guessed, so she was returning here. But they received word of a losing battle, and their aid was requested."
His fists clenched. "And she fought."
Naomi nodded. "She fought. The battle was won, in the end. I am not certain how, but Kagome was stabbed with a sword deep into her side. The shock sent her into labor. She made it back here before she gave birth. I was with her… They let me because they expected complications, because the father was inu." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes at the memory. "There was so much blood," she murmured.
Sesshoumaru felt some of his own blood drain from his face. The sight of blood did not easily affect his mother, having fought countless battles in her own lifetime. How much blood had been spilt to make her react so?
"When the child finally came out, it was a stillborn. The blade that had penetrated the mother had also pierced the child." His mother buried her face in her hands. "She held it as if she did not even notice the blood… or the lack of life. That poor girl, she cried her heart out. She refused to allow her side wound to be stitched. The healers heavily sedated her in order to sew the cut closed. As soon as she woke, she ripped them out. She threatened to tear them out if they fixed it again, so they did not try."
Naomi took a deep, albeit unsteady, breath, quelling the tears that threatened to rise again. "I visited her the day after. She was… surrounded by feathers that had fallen out. She picked one up and gave it to me, because she knew I liked the color. I—I did not know, at the time, what it meant. I thought she was simply molting like some birds do."
"What does it mean, Mother?" Sesshoumaru demanded sternly when she lapsed into a depressed silence.
"It means," both dog demons turned at the new voice, that of the pink-winged Earth Angel, "that she was sick. Earth Angels only molt when they are gravely ill, either physically or mentally."
"Why are you here?" Sesshoumaru inquired icily.
"I found out you were here, and I figured the only reason you would come here is for answers about what happened. If you did that, then you probably care about her as much as she cares about you. My name is Sango, by the way."
Sesshoumaru did not order her to leave, so she stayed.
Naomi continued her story. "I visited her, at first. Every day. And she seemed to me to be getting better. Then one day the guards would not let me see her. They told me that Kagome no longer wanted me to visit."
Sesshoumaru cleared his throat. "Why would she not want to see you?"
"I do not know."
"I do." Sango told Naomi, "Kagome was relying too much on your visits to heal. You were her closest link to Sesshoumaru, and her father disliked that idea. Kagome… got worse after you stopped coming by. She kept asking for you, but her father refused, even when she stopped eating for a while."
"I just saw her the other day. She was sad, but seemed to be fine otherwise."
Naomi nodded. "I am not sure how, exactly, but she healed enough that she was sent back out to fight. She's a strong girl." The words sounded more like a sympathetic conclusion than a compliment.
"Thank you, Mother. I am afraid that I must return to my soldiers, now," Sesshoumaru said, standing.
"Aren't you going to ask whether you had a son or a daughter?"
He paused. "I believe that is for Kagome to tell me."
His mother grasped his hand in hers. "Find her, Sesshoumaru. She cried out for you when she was giving birth. She wants you with her."
The image of her bare finger reappeared in his mind. "I am not so certain of that anymore," he murmured as he left.
Several months passed, and he had yet to see Kagome again. But the time of the final battle was near. The Northern Lord had finally surrendered, though renegade groups still fought with the East.
The entire forces of the West, South and Central Lands had gathered for what was to be the ultimate confrontation. They now camped near the fortress of the Eastern Lord, which undoubtedly held whatever creature was manipulating the bears.
Sesshoumaru continually scanned the throngs of warriors for Kagome. She had to be there. She was too valuable a fighter to be kept from this battle.
He finally spotted her. Her dark blue wings shone like a beacon to him, though her aura was currently hidden.
Sesshoumaru started to approach her, watching as she moved about unaware of him. Suddenly she turned and her face brightened. Following her gaze, his eyes met with a newly arrived group of Earth Angels.
Kagome ran excitedly to the pale gold-winged male at the front of the group. He appeared equally happy to see her as he caught her in his arms and twirled her around before hugging her tightly.
Sesshoumaru's steps halted, along with his heartbeat. Forcing his outward appearance to remain remote, despite the chaos of feelings within, he was about to return to talk strategy with his generals when the gates of the fortress abruptly opened.
Everyone drew their weapons and attached any additional armor. For a moment, the East made no move. Then the bears poured out from the gates in a charge and bats flew from hidden perches within the towers.
Katsuro, Yukio and Satu drew their weapons and ordered a charge of their own.
Many Earth Angels flew to meet the bats. Sesshoumaru noted that Kagome was among the Earth Angels who fought on the ground.
Despite being outnumbered, the East appeared to be holding its own. The mêlée was at a stalemate. The East seemed to have an unknown power behind them. And their weapons were extraordinarily advanced. Apparently, they drew power from being close to whatever being was housed in the Eastern fortress.
Sesshoumaru had receded within himself. Kagome seemed to have completely forgotten him. She did not wear his ring. She found happiness with another man of her kind. Naomi's words appeared to have proved false.
He killed ruthlessly, his moves cold and calculated. He appeared indifferent to the pile of dead bear demons that fell at his feet, or the blood that darkened his white clothing, stained his armor, and dripped from his sword. He paid almost no heed to the flying bat demons. The Earth Angels were to take care of them.
Therefore, Sesshoumaru was startled when an Earth Angel dropped from the sky and landed heavily in his path, scant paces in front of him. Looking up for the first time, Sesshoumaru was surprised to see that the Earth Angels appeared to be losing the aerial war. More would fly up and join the fight as more would fall, but no progress was made.
Instinctively he searched out Kagome, and was relieved to find her safe on the ground, easily holding her own. He was about to look away to concentrate on his personal fight, when he saw her cry out as yet another Earth Angel fell. Sesshoumaru recognized the gold-winged male from before as he plummeted to the ground from a severely wounded wing.
Kagome ran and kneeled before him, careless of the combat around her. Plenty of bear youkai, however, seemed content to take advantage of her distracted state as she cried beside the fallen man.
"Kagome!" Sesshoumaru warned as he fought his way to her. He was not sure if she heard him, but she turned nonetheless and used her armguard to block the fatal blow of a sword. The blade cut through her armor, but she gritted her teeth and held her position.
As he neared, he could see the primal spark in her sapphire eyes. The need for revenge, as well as the need to protect, was clear in them. She stood and cut the bear down. Then, much to Sesshoumaru's surprise, she spread her wings wide and launched into the air.
Her shining, night sky wings caught the attention of many as she flew. Sesshoumaru instantly felt fear as she entered a struggle many of her comrades had fallen from.
pure-sweet: I apologize for not replying to your review of chapter 5! I accidentally missed it. I am very glad to hear that you are enjoying the story.
syria- demoness of water: Interesting idea. I shall keep that in mind. Thank you for the review!
LynGreenTea: Thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy.
animefanghurl: Thanks very much! I am happy that you like the story so much.
lol4567: Well, now that you have your answers, or most of them, at least, what do you think? I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you for reviewing!