A/N: And here we are, chapter 17! Yay! Anyways, I'm gonna hopefully settle into a regular posting schedule. To read the disclaimer we have…Hinoki-sama!
Hinoki: Aki does not own Inuyasha or Naruto. All she owns is the plot, the story, and her characters. Everything else is © to Takahasi-sama.
And now, chapter seventeen…
Chapter Seventeen: Plans, Pain, and Punishment
"Kyoshi-kun…basin, please…"
"Hai!"
The young Ryuuyoukai retrieved the object and handed it to his mate, who gratefully smiled in return before another wave of nausea hit.
"Gah…this is terrible…I hate this…" The hanyou girl groaned, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand.
"Well…it could be worse Mei…"
"Please don't say that. Usually something worse does happen after everyone says that."
Kyo smiled. "That's just superstition. You don't believe that, do you?"
"Not really, but it never hurts to be too careful."
"Think you can manage to eat this?"
"No guarantees this time, but I'll definitely try."
"That's the spirit."
The pair smiled at one another.
"You know, I just realized…" Mei Lhi said, a spoonful of rice gruel halfway to her mouth.
"What's that?"
"No one else knows about this, except for me, you, Hana-chan, and Megumi-chan."
"Reika knows."
"Well, of course she would. Do you think that maybe she knew beforehand that I was going to be with child?"
"She probably did. I heard that she has a book that shows when everyone will die, and when they will be born."
"Sugoi! Maybe she could tell us when to expect the pup."
"I could ask her if you like."
"No, that's ok. I think I'd rather be surprised."
"Isn't that a bad thing? We could be getting attacked by something or be in danger for some unknown reason and you would have to have it right then and there."
The hanyou girl sighed and shook her head, a small grin on her face. "Now that's really unlikely, seeing as I'm going to be stuck in the castle when the pup's birth is near."
"Well, at least you won't be alone while you're stuck here then. Kagome will be stuck here far earlier than you will."
"Hai. Oh! I just realized something else…Kagome-chan and I will have our pups around the same time! Kagome-chan's pup will have a friend."
"Hai!"
-
"I am disappointed with you, Reika." Haru said icily.
"My apologies, Master."
"Your apologies? Ha! Don't make me laugh! Your apologies are useless! They cannot correct the fact that you betrayed me! I do not know why I still have you here!"
"But Master, you must understand! I was only pretending to help them! So they could trust me! I still and always have served you Master. Please, you must believe me!"
"Very well. I won't punish you for that…however…you've been in the company of a certain young man…"
"He means nothing to me. He simply helped me when I was wounded, and he cares for me at times, when I get my visions…"
"That is inexcusable. You know better than to socialize with anyone here. Even your own relatives. Speaking of which, I am aware that you traveled to the West with your cousin and that boy to help that hanyou."
"It was all a part of my plan, Master! I assure you nothing but my sworn loyalty, sir!"
"Silence! I see through your lies!"
"MASTER! NO! PLEASE! DON'T! NO!"
"You've been a very bad child."
Haru seized the girl by the neck, his claws digging into the pale flesh, lifting her from the floor, staring into the girl's terror-filled eyes before tossing her onto his futon and disrobing as he approached her shuddering form.
-
"Inuyasha, why is Mei-chan so ill? She won't come out of her room." Kagome asked her mate, patting her belly which was now a bit rounder.
"Keh. Hell if I know." The hanyou replied.
"Maybe you should go talk to her?"
"You should be the one to ask her. It could be some womanly problem…" Inuyasha said, a grimace upon his face.
Kagome smiled at him and nodded in agreement. "Hai, I suppose it would be best if I did ask her…"
-
"How are you, Mei-chan? Any better?" Hana asked.
"I'm a little better…I can eat a little bit now." Mei Lhi replied.
"Oh good! The pup will need its strength."
"Hai! I'm much happier that I got to eat, and the pup is too!"
"And how are you, Kyo?"
"Oh, I'm fine."
"Alright, I'll check in with you two later. I have to check on Kagome-chan now. Take care of her, Kyo."
"Of course, Hana-chan."
The three of them exchanged grins and laughs, before the miko-youkai departed, heading for her brother-in-law's room.
-
"Kon'nichi wa! I've come to check on you again, Kagome-chan. I just have to be sure that the pup is alright." Hana said as she walked through the door. "Now, you've been eating? Yes?"
Kagome nodded.
"Good. Getting enough rest?"
Kagome nodded again.
"Good. Now you haven't been overexerting yourself?"
The miko shook her head.
"And you haven't been frequently practicing any extracurricular activities have you?"
"Hana-chan!" Kagome exclaimed in surprise, blushing as she caught the double-meaning of the question.
Inuyasha scowled at the woman for a second, turning away from his brother's mate to sulk.
Hana proceeded to do a more intensive examination, finally finishing up a few minutes later.
"Well, everything looks good. Just keep this routine, and do the exercises. It'll help later when the pup has to be born. Besides, it'll ease my mind to know you'll be perfectly fine. But Mei-chan will possibly have problems…I'll need everything I have to hold back the oppression long enough to help deliver hers…"
Inuyasha's ears perked up. "Nani? Is that why she's ill? Kyo gave her a pup too?"
"They didn't tell you?" Hana asked, surprised.
Kagome vigorously shook her head, while Inuyasha stared in bewilderment.
"She never said anything. When will her baby be born?"
"She's about two months behind you. So whenever yours arrives, we'll know to prepare for hers."
"I bet the baby will look just like its momma."
Hana grinned. "And I'm sure yours will be just the same."
"Tsuki-chan and Tsurugi-kun both look exactly like you, only Tsurugi-kun looks more like his poppa if anything."
"Hai!" Hana agreed with a nod.
-
Haru towered above his apprentice, staring blankly at the space she occupied in his bed. The girl had tried to faint during her punishment, but Haru forced her to stay awake and endure it all. Without a remorseful feeling at all, he dressed, leaving the broken girl behind.
-
"You said you wanted to meet with me, Neko no Taisho?" Haru asked.
"Hai. We wish to obtain Inutaishou's lands. And we will require your assistance, Haru-sama."
"Hm. What for?"
"The Ryuu volunteers we had were most helpful to us. And we were hoping that you could maybe counter the girl who killed some of our men."
"You speak of my understudy?"
"Yes. My men were making rounds and spotted her with a young Ryuu male and a ningen female."
"I suppose I can contribute to your cause. I'll inform Harukichi for you. He'll be most delighted."
"Thank you for this great honor to have you fighting on our side, Haru-sama."
-
Reika stirred, her thoughts plagued with nightmares. Shuddering still, she reached for her clothes, wanting nothing more but to leave that room as fast as possible. Dressing quickly, she bolted out the door, going to the one person she knew she could trust. Toji.
"Miss? Did something happen? You're wounded…did you get attacked?" he asked, the moment the girl burst through his door.
"I…I…was…I-I was…punished…by my master…"
"What did he do?"
"I can't tell you! In fact, I got in trouble for just being in your company. So this is goodbye."
"Miss, please, you can tell me what happened. Your master will never know."
"Yes he will! He knows everything!"
"I highly doubt that…"
"He knows where I go, always, all the time!"
"Mi-Reika…" Toji began.
Reika looked up, realizing how he had addressed her by her name.
"I promise you…as long as you're with me, I won't let anything happen to you."
"I can't rely on you. Master Haru will kill you!"
"He won't, trust me."
"And why won't I?" Haru asked. "I specifically told you not to see this boy. You've disobeyed me, girl. I must punish you…perhaps a little more of what I gave you earlier will teach you!"
"No! Not that Master!"
It was then that Toji saw fear in Reika's eyes for the first time. Whatever the punishment was, if it was enough to make someone as iron-willed as Reika to be afraid, it couldn't have been good.
"Oh, you don't like that, do you? Then perhaps it is fitting punishment."
Haru grabbed the girl's neck once again, already loosening his hakama and yukata. Toji's eyes narrowed, while in his stomach a sick feeling threatened to overwhelm him.
"No…not here, Master! PLEASE!" Reika pleaded desperately.
"And why not? Perhaps public exposure would be better…you seem more cooperative."
"You'll stop that…now." Toji said in a hard voice, very much unlike the one Reika knew.
Haru turned to the boy amusedly. "You have no power over me, boy."
"I wouldn't say that if I were you, Haru."
"You disrespectful brat!" Haru snarled, throwing Reika down.
Toji shot a cold glare at Haru, the warmth in the room suddenly vanishing. Reika looked up to see Toji and her master both locked in a staring match, neither one of them flinching.
Finally, Toji broke the long-stretched silence.
"By the rank of the Kyuu, I command that you leave this girl alone. If this order is not followed, I will have arrangements made for your punishment."
Reika gasped in surprise, and Haru's eyes widened. Toji stared into Haru's cold and unfeeling eyes, his sapphire orbs smoldering. Haru scowled, turning and bolted out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Toji dropped his icy stare, turning to face Reika, his features bearing an expression of immense concern, approaching the girl, helping her to her feet.
"T-Toji…you're a…?"
"Hai, I am. Compared to me, he is nothing. I'll protect you from now on, Reika."
"You promise?"
Toji took the girl's shaking hands into his own, the shuddering stopping instantly.
"I promise you, he'll never hurt you again."
-
"Pup needs meat, Kagome." Inuyasha said, half-complaining, half-persuading.
"Hai, I know…but…I suddenly can't eat this type of food anymore." Kagome replied with a small sigh.
"Is there anything wrong with her?" The hanyou asked, turning to his sister, who was sitting nearby reading a book.
"No, she's fine. It's normal to be sensitive to food. Why are you asking me, anyway?"
"You're only reading about it right now."
"So? That's beside the point. Honestly, I think you should get started on your reading. We are required to educate ourselves on the matter of children, in case you forgot."
"Well I would start my reading if I actually could read in the first place!"
Mei Lhi froze and set down her book to look at her brother.
"You…can't read?"
"Nope. Barely…"
"You should've said something!"
"Keh! Would you want to admit that you couldn't read?"
"Well…no…but you could've at least told Kagome-chan."
"Hai, I would've helped you." Kagome agreed.
"I should be taking care of you Kagome, not the other way around. Besides, you can always read it to me…"
Kagome and Mei Lhi sighed.
"You're going to have to learn eventually. Especially if you're going to be a taiyoukai soon. There's going to be lots of paperwork that you'll have to fill out, and it'll look bad if you can't read it." Mei Lhi stated.
"Shut up! I know that already! I'll know how to read by then!"
"And who's going to teach you?"
"I'll teach myself. I'm not stupid."
"Yeah, I'll help you…"
"I never-!"
"I know you didn't ask, but I'm giving you my help anyway."
"But-!"
"No buts. You want to be a strong leader, don't you? Don't you want to be better than Sesshoumaru-Onii-san?"
Inuyasha shoved his fists into his haori sleeves, turning away to sulk. Meanwhile, Mei Lhi sighed and rummaged about for a piece of paper and a pencil, writing down all forty six Hiragana syllables.
When she finished, she motioned her brother over.
"Alright, look over here, this one here is 'a'. This next one is 'i', and if you put them together, you get 'ai'. Which is, as you know, is 'love'…Here, you try. Write down those two syllables."
She handed her brother the pencil and instructed him to write each syllable separately, and helped him make simple words with them.
-
"Now read that one."
"A…i…shi…te…ru."
"Good. Now put it together."
"Ai shiteru."
"There you go! Next one…"
"Wa…ta…shi…wa…I…nu…ya…sha."
"Put it together…"
"Watashi wa Inuyasha."
"Alright, you're doing great. Here's a fun one for you…just don't draw Tetsusaiga any time soon…"
"Ka…ze…no…Ki…zu."
"And that is…?"
"Kaze no Kizu. Oi, write Bakuryuuha for me. And Kongousouha."
"It's going to be rather long…but if you're up to trying to read it, then by all means go for it. I won't tell you which is which, so you're going to have to read to find out, alright?"
"Whatever, just write it down."
"There. Go for it."
"Ko. N. Go. U. So. U. Ha…Kongousouha."
"Good. And the other one…read it, and don't just say it."
"Ba. Ku. Ryu. U. Ha. Bakuryuuha."
"Excellent. I think you've got it down enough for now. I'll teach you more tomorrow…I'm tired…we've been doing this for hours…"
"Keh. Pup's wearing you out, eh?"
"Yeah…draining all the life out of me, but it's alright. I don't mind. I just have to get used to it. But in the meantime, I want to you study what you've learned now and I want you to practice writing each one."
"Fine. Sheesh…"
Mei Lhi smiled and nodded at her brother, politely excusing herself as she left.
(A/N: Those are actual Hiragana syllables that Inuyasha was saying. Except for the "sha" in Inu-kun's name. That might be Katakana. I'm not sure. I have to study my Hiragana as well…lol…anyways…)
-
"Miss…anno…would you-would you like to talk about what happened?" Toji asked uncertainly.
"Iie! I can't relieve those memories again!" Reika replied fiercely.
"Miss, as the days go on, you grow more distant, more isolated. Please, if there's anything, tell me. I want to help you."
"I don't need your help. I never have, and never will. From the moment we met, I rejected your aid. I only gave in to it simply because you refused to go away."
"Hai, I know that…"
"Then stop trying to help me!"
"Is this…all of it…is it because of what your master has done to you? Or is it what you see in your nightmares?"
"It is not your concern. What ails me is beyond your skill to counter, and I don't need nor want any help trying to rid of it, for it shall never fade, no matter what anyone will try to do."
"Is it because of your cousin's mate dying?"
"What did you say?"
"Are you like this because you know that your cousin's mate will die?"
"How do you know of this? Who told you? Who was it? TELL ME!"
"How I know, it matters not. But I do think I have discovered the source of your pain."
"I don't want to hear it! I don't care!"
"You know you won't be able to bring yourself to take her from him, Miss. He's family, and the only one that didn't treat you like everyone else did when you were young. He was the only one that saw you as a person, not a plague, nor a murderer. Him and his parents, they were the only ones who treated you like I do now. And to take someone who means so much to the person that showed you that there is still goodness left in the world would bring unimaginable sorrow to both you and your cousin, and it wouldn't be just them. It would be everyone that that girl has come into contact with. All the people whose hearts she has changed with her own unique way of just being who she is. You know…you know that you cannot take her life…"
"T-Toji…what…what shall I do…? I-I don't know what to do. I know it is my duty to serve the wishes of the fates, but…I can't take Kyo's wife. She's too important to him, and if I do follow through and take her, Kyo will surely hate me."
"You already know what you want to do. It is simply your choice whether or not you do it, Reika."
-
Kagome froze with surprise.
"Kagome? Daijoubu?" Inuyasha asked concernedly.
Kagome's expression melted from shock to happiness, a small smile on her face. "I'm alright. I think I can feel the baby moving."
"Eh? Nani?"
"Hai! I can feel that there's definitely something in there. Would you like to feel it, Inuyasha?"
The hanyou looked to his mate with an expression of bewilderment. "Will I hurt him?"
"No, it's pretty impossible, unless you plan to blow a hole through my stomach any time soon." The miko said jokingly. "But I promise you that it won't hurt the baby at all. Here, give me your hand…" she continued reassuringly, reaching for the hanyou's hand, placing it against her growing womb.
"What are you-? Oh Kami-sama…I feel something Kagome! There's something in there!"
"Hai! I think the baby knows that it's poppa is looking for him in here."
"So…that…that's really my pup in there, isn't it?"
"Hai, it is."
And it was then that Inuyasha smiled, a gesture which he did rarely.
"Say it again Kagome."
"Say what, Inuyasha?"
"Tell me it's my pup again…tell me that I'm his oyaji."
Kagome smiled back at him and nodded.
"Inuyasha…this baby is yours. And it always will be, won't you, baby?" she said, glancing down at her belly. "Inuyasha's your poppa, right?"
As if in response, the two of them felt movement in the miko's womb.
"Kagome…ai shiteru…arigatou, I needed to hear that…"
Inuyasha pulled his mate into a firm embrace, holding her tight, burying his face into her hair. Kagome simply kept smiling.
"I love you too, Inuyasha…"
A/N: I know it's a little bit shorter than normal, but this just seemed to be too good a stopping point. Yay for some Kag/Inu fluff finally! I actually managed to put a whole section into this chapter instead of focusing all the fluff completely on Mei and Kyo! I'm so proud of myself! Aw crap, the sad song from Inuyasha's playing now, the one from Episode 124, Sotsugyou, where Kikyou dies for the third time and it sounds like Inuyasha's about to cry. I'm listening to a custom anime music mix on Windows Media Player right now, ah kami-sama the song's so sad! I keep seeing that scene where Sesshoumaru tells Inuyasha that he allowed Kikyou to get killed by Naraku because he was too late to save her, and oh damn, it's just SO SAD! It's breaking my heart to listen to it, but it is a beautiful song. Anyways, I'm going to try and get Ch. 18 out ASAP, and hopefully get updates coming in a more regular and constant stream. Alright I should go now…before I start bawling from this song. Don't forget to review! Ja ne until next time!
