A/N: And hello once again one and all! Chapter 22! Yay! Disclaimer goes to uhh…Jakotsu!

Jakotsu: Aki does not own Inuyasha, Naruto, Star Wars, or Memoirs of a Geisha. She only owns her characters and her story. Now I have to go and catch up with Aniki-chan!


Chapter Twenty-Two: Fate's Will

"Dada!" Aijii cried out as his father entered the room.

Inuyasha turned, looking upon his son with a smile, Kagome gasped with surprise, her jaw hanging open.

"He-he said his first word!" The miko exclaimed.

"Keh. He's been talking a while now, you just couldn't understand him," Inuyasha replied nonchalantly. "I've been waiting for him to say something in Japanese for a while now…"

Kagome looked at him expectantly, obviously waiting for an explanation.

"Pups are born naturally knowing how to speak their youkai language. I've been talking with him in Inuyoukai. I guess I should teach you some. I've been teaching Aijii how to speak Japanese; I might as well teach you Inuyoukai. Then you'll both understand each other."

At this point, Kagome was speechless and quite confused, but her shock ended when Aijii let out a series of growls and yips. Inuyasha replied in his own set of growls and refocused his attention on his mate.

"He says he's hungry. And he wants me to tell you not to speak so loudly. It hurts his ears," The hanyou said, pausing as his son started growling and yipping again. "And he says that he hopes you learn Inuyoukai soon because he really wants to talk to you directly. And he said he'll try extra hard to learn Japanese."

Kagome took the child and loosened her kimono, allowing the boy to suckle on her breast. She patted the soft tuft of raven colored hair on the child's head and whispered softly, "I'll try extra hard too. I'd love to talk with you too, my dear. Hopefully we'll learn very soon, ne?"

Aijii said nothing in response as he still gently suckled away. When he had eaten his fill he eased off his mother's bosom, a sleepy moan sounding from the infant. In a few moments, he fell asleep in his mother's arms, a happy and contended smile on his face. (A/N: This is a month and a half into the future from the day Aijii was born.)

-

A scream shattered the silence. Reika sat upright with a jolt, burying her face into her hands.

'Not again…I can't. It's so hard to watch…'

She recalled her nightmares, remembering first the blood which had stained her hands. She remembered that there was a time that she could not touch anything without infecting it with her powers. There was a time that when she had just learned to control them, that a woman whom she was very fond of requested her to play midwife. Without hesitation, she had accepted.

But that was when everything had gone wrong. The moment she touched the child, it began to die and wither until life ceased to exist. The blood had never completely washed away.

The other image which had so plagued her mind was the nightmare which had been recently filling her thoughts more and more.

The day she would have to kill the girl that had become a close friend. The nightmares had not improved. They had only gotten worse, and now, with the day being less than two weeks from occurring, the nightmares were at their worst. She could now clearly see many details which had been so vague or nearly nonexistent before. What she saw and felt, it rattled her to her very core.

"Reika? Are you alright?" Toji asked, having just arrived in the room. "Is it your nightmares again?"

Slowly the girl nodded, her face still in her hands.

"They were about 'her' weren't they?"

Again she nodded. "I…I can't…" she mumbled.

"I know. Don't worry. We'll find a way, I promise."

Reika found comfort in his words, and reluctantly lifted her head, wiping her teary eyes on her kimono sleeve.

"Come, let's get something to eat, ne?"

"H-hai…"

-

"Tsuki-chan! Where are you?" Hana called.

The miko-youkai sighed. 'She's going to be the death of me.' She mused.

She sniffed at the air, attempting to find her young daughter's scent trail, upon finding it, she journeyed through the castle, and found herself staring at a closed door. With another sigh, she slid open the door and found her daughter with a set of fans, dancing and twirling.

"Tsukimisou." Hana said in a hard voice, her tone reprimanding.

The child turned obediently to face her mother, knowing the seriousness of her mother's intentions by being addressed by her full given name rather than the cute shortened 'Tsuki-chan'.

"Hai, Okaa-san?" The Inu child asked.

"Put those away. I'm quite disappointed with you. You've been running off quite a bit, and you haven't told anyone where you've gone, and on top of that, you'd prefer to practice this than your more important studies as a Daughter of the West. I'm having you educated for a reason. And I greatly disapprove of your recent behavior."

"Hai…"

Tsukimisou folded the fans and slipped them into her obi, leaving the room, looking downcast.

'I thought she liked geisha…why can't she let me be what I want to be? I don't want to be royalty anymore…I'm not free.'

-

Mei Lhi sat in her room, a hand resting on her swollen belly. She sighed, and found her mind had begun to wander.

'Not long now little one…just a few weeks more, ne? Then I'll get to introduce you to the world. You'll like everyone, trust me. The first person you'll meet besides me will be your father, Kyo. Then you can meet my Nii-chan and my Onii-san, Kagome, Hana, Sango, Miroku, Kohaku, Shippou, everyone! You'll get to meet Aijii! He's my nephew, and he'll be just two months older than you. So hopefully when you're both a little older and you both can walk and talk, you can be playmates. Would you like that, little one? I know Tsuki-chan and Rin-chan will adore you. Tsu-chan will probably like you too. Oh, who are they? They're my Onii-san and Hana's pups. Well little one, Kaa-chan is tired right now, so I'll have to talk to you another time. Maybe when I'll wake up I can keep telling you about everyone. Good night little one.' The hanyou girl thought, in a way feeling as if her thoughts could somehow reach the child growing in her womb.

Mei Lhi often thought those sorts of thoughts. She believed always she could talk with her child just with her thoughts. It must've been that mother-child bond.

The hanyou girl sighed, giving her stomach an almost affectionate rub; as if her touch was a silent "I love you and good night". She stood and crossed the room, climbing into the futon, sleep taking over her at once.

-

"Why are you here, Reika?" A group of mystical voices chorused.

"Forgive me for intruding, but please…I need to know…" The child of the anti-life began nervously.

The dark-clad people in the room looked down upon the girl.

"What do you desire, child?" The black-clothed figures asked kindly.

"Is there a way that I can save her?" Reika asked, her tone pleading.

"Save who? Tell us, what is it you desire?" The figures asked, their tone sounding more demanding.

"I want to save her! I want to save my friend! She's condemned to die! I can't take her life. There must be a way that I can satisfy your desires of her soul with something else, right?"

One of the figures stepped forward, and knelt down to the girl's level. "Raise your head." The voice, obviously female said.

Reika did so, her violet eyes widening as she looked upon the face of one of the Fates for the first time in her life. The face was warm and kind, with pale silver eyes and matching silver hair. The woman affectionately patted Reika's face and smiled.

"My Lady, tell me there is something I can do…?"

"There is, but I am afraid even you will not do it."

"Please, honored Lady, tell me. I cannot do this. I cannot bring you her soul."

"First, child, who is it that we speak of?"

"The hanyou, Mei Lhi."

"She cannot be helped! Leave here and speak nothing of it!" The other Fates shouted angrily.

The silver-haired Fate remained silent, her lips drawn thin.

"I can only show you the way, my child. It is your decision whether or not you decide to tread that path…"

"Thank you…oh kami-sama, thank you…"

The woman firmly gripped Reika's shoulders, her nails digging into the girl's skin. The woman's silver eyes widened, and in a split second she bit Reika in an almost savage way at the base of the neck, causing the younger girl to let out a scream of pain.

"You have what you came for. Leave."

Reika was confused, shocked, and in agony all at once. She had no idea what this woman meant. Before she knew it, she was dragged to her feet, her shoulders were cuffed roughly, and she was escorted from the dark room and tossed rather unceremoniously into the hall, where she lay still, bleeding, crying, and hurt.

It was worthless to see the Fates. They did nothing. She'd simply wasted her time.

Then she realized it. She suddenly felt like she got the answer she wanted. And upon focusing on that feeling, that feeling became a message from the silver-eyed Fate she had just been attacked by. The Fate-woman was dictating instructions to her. Reika at last understood why she would not like the plan. She sighed.

'I have to go through with it. It's the only way. I can't let her die.'

Slowly she got to her feet, one hand clutching her wound, the other hanging limply at her side. She walked away into the darkness.

'I know what I must do…'

Her footsteps echoed down the hall, until at last her form was visible no more.

'And no matter what the cost it is to me, I'm going to do it. I can't let her die.'

-

"Reika! Daijoubu ka?" Toji exclaimed upon seeing the girl's blood.

The girl nodded morosely before sinking down into a sitting position, staring into open space.

"Reika, what's happened? What's wrong?" The boy asked, concern clearly reflected upon his face.

The spirit of anti-life turned to him and shook her head. "It's nothing…" she lied, her tone very unconvincing.

Toji gave her a knowing look, thus causing the girl to sigh, bringing a hand up to rub her temples.

"I know what to do now…to save her," she began slowly, not looking at him.

The boy gave her an imploring look, urging her to continue. "I'm not going to tell you how. But I know what I need to do. I went to meet with the Fates, and one of them was kind enough to give me the information, although she was rather savage about delivering it to me…"

"Savage?" Toji questioned with a puzzled expression.

"She was crazed. She bit me."

"I can't believe you actually went to see them in person."

"It's funny, isn't it?"

"What is?"

"The lengths we go through to obtain information…"

Toji had to agree, "Hai…" he said softly with a nod. "It's amazing what things we'll do just because of it. We'd do anything, no matter what it was, who it hurt, who it spared…" The boy paused. "I'm rambling again…" he muttered with an aggravated sigh. "Pay me no mind. I don't know what I'm saying."

Reika found a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. But even this small pinnacle of happiness could not stand up to the mountain of despair that resided within her very being.

-

"Mei-chan! It's almost over, you can do this!" Hana exclaimed.

The hanyou girl nodded, and pushed once again.

"You're doing great, Mei. Just think about it, it'll just be a few minutes more, and we'll have our child to hold in our arms…" Kyo whispered into her ear, giving his mate's hand an encouraging squeeze.

Mei Lhi nodded, her eyes clamped shut tight as she fought the urge to scream at the top of her lungs from the pain. She stopped pushing for a moment to catch her breath, waiting for the signal to begin again.

"Just one more push, Mei-chan!" Kagome said. "Ready? And push!"

At last, the hanyou girl could no longer keep biting her lip to prevent herself from expressing how much it hurt. She cried out and found her cry joined by another.

"Congratulations! You have a son!" Kagome exclaimed enthusiastically.

Mei Lhi smiled, taking a gasping breath before she slumped back onto the pillows of the futon, her body aching with weariness. Her breathing grew ragged and shallow, just as her eyes seemed to grow heavier each passing second. Her pulse started to slow, and she found it harder and harder to keep her eyes open.

"Is she sleeping?" Kagome asked.

"She must've been worn out from all the excitement…I'll wake her…" Hana replied, reaching out a hand to gently shake the girl awake, only to touch the girl's skin and find it rather cold.

The miko-youkai's eyes widened, and soon grew teary as she started shaking her head vigorously.

"What's wrong?" The younger miko inquired.

"She…she's…gone…" Hana answered quietly, tears streaming down her face.

"N-nani? 'Gone'? Wait…she's…dead…?"

"H-hai…"

Kyo was frozen in shock. His greatest fear had at last come true.

-

"Reika! Wake up!" Toji shouted.

Reika awoke, relieved to find that it had only been a nightmare, but horrified at how vividly she saw everything. Taking a few calming breaths, she turned to the boy.

"What day is it…?" she asked.

Toji sighed, debating how to tell her. "It's…going to happen today." He whispered.

"Toji…just, tell me one thing…"

"Hai…?"

"Does the boy live? Or does he die too?"

"He lives for about a week without his mother, but eventually he dies too."

Reika nodded and stood, changing out of her sleeping kimono, preparing herself for what she would have to do.

-

"Mei? Daijoubu ka?" Kyo asked concernedly.

He had just been telling her a funny story as they sat on the sprawling castle grounds having a picnic. They had been laughing together loudly and blithely, but it all stopped the moment Mei Lhi's laughter was cut short and she gasped audibly.

"Kyoshi-kun…it's time…"

Kyo's eyes widened and he nodded, moving at once to his mate's side, attempting to help her stand. The girl kept stumbling and nearly fell over as waves of pain hit her. The kaze ryuu instantly lifted his mate into his arms with ease, running for the castle.

'I'm going to be a father…' He thought, feeling suddenly complete.


A/N: Yeah, you're all gonna shoot me now. I gave you one of the evilest cliffies ever. Anyways, sorry for the delay. School's been murder, and because of its evilness, it gave me writer's block. But it was inspiration from Dragon Man that made me recover from the blocked state and get this chapter done. I know it's shorter than normal, but this is really just a filler. Hopefully I'll be able to get Ch. 23 soon. Alrighty, I'll shut up now. Thanks for reading! XD