Chapter 53
When Kagome woke up, she noticed two things. First was the pounding of her head. It felt bruised and swollen, tight from where Kagura had hit her. It blurred her vision occasionally, leaving her feeling weak and useless. The second was much more unnerving. It was a pain she had never felt before but was able to pinpoint what it was the moment it registered. A contraction. She was in labor.
As much as it hurt, Kagome forced herself not to react. She could hear Kagura mumbling to herself a few feet away, and she didn't want Kagura to know just how vulnerable she was at that moment. The contraction wasn't too bad, so she felt she wasn't too far into labor yet. Her thighs weren't wet either, so her water hadn't broken. She had time. She just had to stall until Sesshomaru found her.
"You're awake. Your heart rate picked up." Kagura walked over to Kagome, grabbing her by the hair and yanking her up. Kagome cried out, reaching up to grab Kagura's wrist. "You bitch. You stole him from me."
"He was never yours." Kagome spat, pulling her knees under her to help with the pain on her scalp. She needed to stall. She needed to buy as much time as possible so Sesshomaru could find her. "He was born with my name on his wrist. He just fucked you."
"Shut up!" Kagura screamed, letting go of Kagome's hair to smack her across the face. Kagome fell to the ground hard, panting as she tasted blood from her cheek. She really wished she had her reiki. She could have teleported away, but right then she was so damn weak.
Another contraction surged through her, her stomach tightening until she was gripping at the ground, biting her inner cheek to keep from crying out. That contraction was far worse than the last. They weren't far apart either. She was getting close. Too close for comfort.
"Get up." Kagura yanked her back up again, this time by her arm. Kagome glared at her, pushing through her contraction and keeping her face impassive. She couldn't let Kagura know what was happening. She couldn't.
"He was supposed to be mine." Kagura threw Kagome back so she landed on the ground, knocking the breath from her. "I have to live with that vile Naraku. He tortures me, poisoned me with his miasma. Sesshomaru came in and stopped that. He was the only one that ever cared enough to keep Naraku from hurting me. And then you came along, and he just threw me away."
"Then leave, Kagura. Get as far away from Naraku as you can." Kagome pushed herself up as much as she could. "If you go now, you can leave before Sesshomaru gets here. You can be free, Kagura. You can save yourself."
"You don't know anything." Kagura slammed Kagome into the ground, her hand tight around Kagome's throat. "Naraku will never let me go. If I could just run, I would have a long time ago, but he would hunt me down. And when he found me, he would punish me so much, I would wish for death. Sesshomaru is my only chance to escape."
"Sesshomaru won't look at you. The moment he shows up to rescue me, he will kill you on sight." Kagome spat again, egging Kagura on. She could feel a contraction coming, and she needed Kagura to back off.
With a laugh, Kagura stood up again, taking a few steps back. "Did you really think I haven't already ensured my safety? I hid my scent, used an incense. Sesshomaru isn't coming. By the time he finds you, your body will be rotting away."
"He will know you did it." Kagome could feel the panic rising in her even as her body constricted with another contraction. If Kagura was right, Kagome was in trouble. Without Kagura's scent, there was no way Sesshomaru would be able to find her.
"He will have no idea. By the time he finds you, I will be long gone." With another laugh, Kagura pointed up at the sky and the darkening clouds. "Rain is coming, Kagome. Your scent, my scent, it will all be washed away, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. First, I will rip those babies out of your womb, then I will kill you, and when the time is right, I will be the shoulder Sesshomaru cries on until he moves on and welcomes me in his arms again."
"He will never love you, Kagura. You can't come back from a soul bond. When I am gone, his heart will never be able to love another. You can kill me, but you still won't get what you want. He will turn you away." Kagome spat, using a tree to push herself to her feet. The moment she did, she felt a warm gush of liquid between her thighs and looked down. "No."
"Are you in labor?" Kagura asked, laughing again. "Looks like I'm out of time. I don't want to give the little mutts a chance to be born. That takes away the fun of ripping them out of your womb." Kagura stepped towards Kagome, and she stepped back, preparing to run. It would be futile, but she would fight until the end to keep her babies safe.
She made it all of three steps before a contraction slammed into her, causing her knees to buckle as she cried out in pain. Her labor was progressing too quickly. Before her contraction was even done, Kagura turned Kagome over, her claws outstretched. This was it. She was going to die, her babies were going to die. There was only one thought that went through her mind right then. Sesshomaru!
Kagura lunged forward, claws outstretched. An inch from Kagome's belly and a pink barrier surged forward from Kagome's womb, covering her in a protective shield. It touched Kagura's skin, just the tip of her finger, and it sent the wind demon back, screaming as her hand began melting away, then her wrist, and then her arm.
Kagome could only watch wide eyed as Kagura continued to be purified, every inch of her turning to dust until there was nothing left but her scream. In time, that faded away as well, and Kagome was left alone and alive.
"I don't know which one of you did that but thank you." Pushing to her knees, she crawled to the nearest tree, pulling herself up. Another cry left her lips as the contraction struck once more. She almost fell to her knees all over again. When it passed, she was left panting, with sweat beading on her forehead. "You two got me out of this mess, but you picked the worst time to make your entrance. Try to hold on until I get back to daddy, okay?"
Pushing forward, she used the trees to lean against before shuffling her way to the next one. She only hoped the trees lasted until she found help, or she would have to crawl the rest of the way. There was no way she was moving without some sort of support. Just when she thought she was making good distance, a contraction so painful racked through her entire body, forcing a scream from her lungs as she fell to her knees. She wasn't going to make it. She was going to give birth to her twins alone and unable to protect herself. "Sesshomaru, please."
…
Sesshomaru felt the moment Kagome woke up. He was both relieved to know that she was alive, but worried at the sheer panic she felt. He could only imagine what she was going through and was desperate to find her.
The fire they were following led them nearly fifteen miles away and it was still going, no sign of stopping anytime soon. Guilt rushed through him, eating at him. How could he have let this happen? She trusted him to keep her and the twins safe, but he failed them, fell right into a trap. He should have been smarter, known better, but he didn't.
A scream of agony had both Sesshomaru and Touga coming to a stop, eyes wide as they recognized that voice. It was Kagome. Wherever she was, she was in danger. Simultaneously, they followed the sound of the scream, but what they came across was the last thing they expected.
She was on her hands and knees, her face cut up in various places, but that wasn't the problem. She was sobbing, one hand on her belly as she cried out once again from pain. She wasn't in danger. She was in labor.
"Kagome." Sesshomaru rushed to her side, and her head snapped up, eyes meeting his.
"Sesshomaru." She reached out and grabbed him, holding onto him tightly. Her nails bit into his skin, face burying into his shoulder as she cried out, another contraction surging through her.
"We need to get her home." Touga knelt beside Kagome, grabbing her other hand. "Can you hold onto Sesshomaru, Kagome?"
"No." Tears were streaming down her face, mixing with the sweat pouring from her skin. "I'm too far into labor. They are coming now."
"Kagome-"
"Listen to me, Touga!" Kagome snapped, head snapping up to him. "They are coming."
Sesshomaru looked between his mate and father, not sure what to do. This wasn't how this was supposed to happen. Kagome was supposed to be in a controlled setting, not out here in the wilderness where anything and everything could go wrong. If he didn't need to be so strong for Kagome, he knew he would be panicking. "Tell us what to do, Kagome."
"I need…" She stopped panting as her body began to seize up with another contraction. It wasn't until she finished screaming that she could speak again. "Sesshomaru, you're going to have to cut the cord. I need both of you to take off your haori." They did as she said, Touga kneeling behind her to hold her while Sesshomaru undressed. With both tops removed, Touga took them, letting them rest on his knee.
"Sesshomaru, I don't think I can move to take off my hakama. Cut them off." Sesshomaru couldn't understand how Kagome was staying so calm, but in this moment, he admired her more than anyone else. She was alone with two men that didn't know anything about birthing children. She was doing this all by herself, even with the support they offered her. She was the strongest person he knew.
Reaching between her thighs, he used his claws to cut away her soaked hakama and then she was leaning against him again, her shoulder pressed against his as she knelt on the ground. Her hands reached between her, and even as she cried out a sob, she managed to press down, delivering the first of their twins. She hadn't been kidding when she said the twins were coming. There had practically already been there.
It took only a few minutes with three strong pushes, before Kagome caught her own baby, crying as she lifted their little boy up to check him over. While she did that, Sesshomaru tied and then cut the cord like she had directed. Then, Kazuhiko was passed to Touga, who wrapped him in Sesshomaru's haori.
"One more, Kagome. Just one more." Sesshomaru's eyes were burning. His son was born, and next was his daughter. Kagome was glorious, working through the pain, ensuring her and their babies were safe as she birthed them.
With two more contractions and pushes, Miyuki was born, and together, they caught her. Both of them smiled as Kagome checked over Miyuki, and then with tears in her eyes, she passed her to Touga as well. Touga was elated, holding both of his grandchildren tight to his chest as they cried.
Kagome quickly finished the birth, and with Sesshomaru's help, laid back, covering herself with her haori. Her hands went out immediately as she leaned against Sesshomaru, and Touga passed her Kazuhiko andthen Miyuki to Sesshomaru.
"They are perfect, Kagome." Sesshomaru kissed her temple, and she nodded, still crying, but this time happily. She trailed her finger over Kazuhiko's cheek, his blue eyes looking up at her as he regarded her for the first time. He had the moon of his father on his forehead, his hair thick and black. One strip adorned each cheek, taking after his grandfather.
"He has your coloring." Sesshomaru looked over Kagome's shoulder at his son then looked down at his daughter. Her hair was the opposite of her brothers, stark white. Her eyes were golden, with two stripes on her cheeks, and a moon on her forehead. "She has mine."
"They saved me, Sesshomaru." Kagome whispered, and Sesshomaru looked at her. He was going to ask about Kagura but hadn't gotten the chance to. Kagome beat him to it. "I was so helpless. There was nothing I could do, but just when Kagura attacked, one of them erected a barrier. It burned her and purified her. She's dead."
"You're safe now." Touga knelt down in front of Kagome, cupping her cheek. "And you brought two beautiful children into the world. You were strong, daughter of mine."
"Have you regained your reiki?" Sesshomaru asked curiously, and Kagome gave a nod.
"I can feel it stirring, but it will take a few days before I am fully regenerated." She looked up at Sesshomaru, exhausted. "Can we go home?"
"Perhaps we will stay in the shiro for a few nights? I want the healer to look over the three of you." Sesshomaru suggested, and he got another tired yawn from Kagome.
"I'll take those two." Touga offered gladly, holding out his arms, and the twins were passed over. He stood, grinning down at them. "I bet you're going to get hungry soon. We need to get you home and looked over so you can eat!"
He started to walk away, and Kagome smirked as Sesshomaru stood, holding her in his arms. "I think he forgot about us." She chuckled, looking up at Sesshomaru.
He pressed his nose to her neck, breathing in deeply as they took to the air, following behind Touga. "I failed you, Kagome. I should have known that Kagura was setting a trap, but I-"
"Stop." She reached up, cupping his face. "You came for me. You got to me when I needed you the most, Sesshomaru. You didn't fail me at all. I love you." She pulled him down for a kiss, and he took his time tasting her, reassuring himself that she was there and okay. Soon, she would be in a bed, feeding their twins, and he would be there, watching her, never letting his family out of his sight again. He would give everything he had to protect them.
...
Look at that. I'm actually on time this week. Anyway, this story is almost over. It has a total of sixty seven chapters. So a few more weeks of updates and that's it. Don't worry, I am working on another story as we speak. It's called Lost and found, and is a story where Kagome finds a lost little Inu pup and takes him in as her own. There is another story that I am going to work on that is a bit smaller, less involved. Its based in the modern era, and Sesshomaru has taken on the responsibility of raising his siblings once their parents died. Its a full on romance story with a tiny bit of drama. I will start posting those once I finish posting this one. That way I have time to get ahead. Anyway. I hope you all enjoyed. See ya'll next week!
