Chapter 2 – Kaza
Okay, so I am going to say that I thought about rating this story M, just because of this chapter, because it deals with live childbirth. Not that I would know what actually happens when you give birth, but I've read enough books to get the basic idea. So, at any rate, I'll try not to make this too gory. I hope. Okay, moving on…
The screams began in the dead of night. The villagers gave each other disdainful looks and only pulled their doors shut and their blinds down. Whatever was happening with that strange group, they didn't want to know. They'd walked into the village early in the day – probably the weirdest group they'd ever seen. There was a hanyou with silver hair and dog ears, who was walking at the front with a tiny kitsune on his shoulder. One huge cat demon was behind him, with two flickering tails and huge fangs, but she looked almost gentle. A girl was walking alongside her with thick black hair and a queer kimono, and the whole group seemed to be supporting the only normal one there – a peasant girl with wide eyes and a swollen stomach, who was obviously in her ninth month and ready to give birth.
The hanyou had threatened to butcher them all if they didn't give them a hut to stay the night in, but the other girl had said some strange spell that threw him to the ground, and then asked politely if they could have a hut so the girl could give birth. Most of the villagers were simply standing and staring – this whole group seemed so young! The pregnant girl seemed barely in her teens, and she obviously wasn't ready for a baby. All the same, they gave them a hut on the outskirts of town and left them to their own devices.
When the screams started, they knew what had happened – the girl was in her first labor pains. Most of them sighed and rolled their eyes, almost hoping that something would go wrong. But they had no idea what was coming.
Inuyasha had seen demons with their eyes clawed out, their stomachs eaten through, devoured by bees, arms cut off, poisoned until they died, and ultimately put through every conceivable torture anyone could think up. But that almost seemed like nothing compared to childbirth.
"Come on, Sango, stay with me!" Kagome shouted desperately. Sango was screaming, tears pouring down her face. She seemed incapable of hearing anything. Kagome wiped the sweat from her brow and looked at Inuyasha for help.
Inuyasha groaned. There was a reason why it was considered a sacred sin for men to enter the birthing room, he'd figured out. Kagome had told them to come in when Sango went into labor, just because Inuyasha and Shippou had done more than enough for her for nine months. The group had walked all over Japan, searching for Miroku, as Sango's stomach just got bigger and bigger. If pregnant women were supposed to stay home and do needlepoint, obviously no one had told Sango. She had her Taijiya catsuit altered as her stomach got bigger and fought with Hiraikotsu till her seventh month, when Inuyasha and Kagome expressly forbid her from fighting. But they couldn't find Miroku anywhere, and it was finally time to grit their teeth and bear the child.
Inuyasha was sitting with Sango's head in his lap, and he was feeling very guilty. This was where Miroku was supposed to be, he knew. This was the place for the father of the baby. But he had to do it – there was no one else, and Sango needed everyone she could get. Shippou was running back and forth, mopping the sweat from her brow and trickling water down her throat, and Kirara was sitting by Sango's cheek, purring and offering emotional support. Kagome, as the resident priestess, was in charge of birthing the child, and she didn't look happy at all. She was almost as sweaty and tired as Sango was, sitting between her legs, her hands covered in blood, but there was still no child.
She gave him a pained look that said, Do something! Inuyasha raised his eyebrows and mouthed, I'm not Miroku, what the hell can I do! Kagome sighed, and then suddenly it became apparently obvious what would make Sango feel better, because she started screaming it at the top of her lungs.
"MIROKU! MIROKU!" She clamped her legs shut and turned over on her side, her body scrunched up tightly. "I'M BEARING HIS CHILD, BUT WHERE IS HE! MIROKU!"
Kagome drew back in surprise, and looked at Inuyasha and Shippou in horror. It was very, very obvious what was going on – Sango was NOT supposed to do this, she was supposed to open her legs and let the baby out. Kagome looked at Inuyasha desperately, and finally, Inuyasha decided he couldn't be Miroku – but he sure as hell could try.
He leaned down, grabbed Sango's face and turned it towards him. She opened her bloodshot, teary eyes and took in his face, and Inuyasha barked,
"Come on, Sango, you are not going to go down like this! What happened to the Taijiya who's sent any youkai that came at her to hell? After those nine months of freakin' hell, don't you want this baby?"
Tears started to come out of her eyes again and she started to turn away, and then Inuyasha got it. What Kagome was trying to tell her – the reason Sango still hadn't borne this child.
"Don't you know how much Miroku wanted this baby?" He said. Now she was looking at him with some signs of recognition. Kagome sent him a grateful glance and jumped in –
"It was the only thing he ever wanted! He asked every woman he saw to bear his child, now you've got to be the one to do it!"
"Yeah, Sango, do it for Miroku." Shippou added, mopping off her face. Sango slowly lay back out and opened her legs. With no words spoken, they took up their positions – Inuyasha put Sango's head in his lap, Shippou and Kirara held her hands, and Kagome kneeled between her legs. Everything was ready.
"Now, Sango –" Kagome whispered, "Push."
It was one hellish half hour while they brought the baby into the world. Sango screamed bloody murder, her body bathed in sweat. She squeezed Shippou's little hands so hard his eyes bulged out of his head. Even Inuyasha had to turn away from all the blood that was splattered all over Kagome and the floor. Kagome was sweating, too, but she hadn't moved from her spot one inch. The whole room was focused so intently they almost didn't hear Kagome say – "I SEE THE HEAD!"
Sango heard, at least. She squeezed her eyes shut and went all out. Her breathing between the screams was coming in short and painful gasps. Her whole body shook. But as Inuyasha watched, she gave one last scream, and suddenly her whole body went limp – and a huge smile lit up Kagome's face as she held in her hands something bright red, slimy and screaming at the top of its lungs. Sango's eyes went huge as she looked up and saw her child, and Shippou almost started cheering when the group's worst fear suddenly came true.
The baby raised its right hand – and suddenly swirling vortexes of wind filled the room.
"KAGOME – THE KAZAANA!" Inuyasha yelled, grabbing Sango and Shippou by the back of their robes and dragging them to the corner of the room. Kirara transformed into her firecat form and seized Kagome by the back of her shirt. Kagome directed the baby's wind tunnel at the roof of the building, away from them all.
"It's not as strong as Miroku's was!" She yelled above the winds. Sango was fully conscious now, and fully realized what was going on. Inuyasha still holding the neck of her yukata, she pointed at the dresser and shrieked, "KAGOME, THE ROSARY!"
There was a rosary, identical to the one Miroku had worn, sitting on the dresser. Kagome reached out and found the slippery beads. She'd seen Miroku do it enough times to know what to do – sheswiftly wrapped the beads around the child's wrist, and the winds finally stopped.
Inuyasha and Shippou leaned back against the side of the hut, breathing deeply. Kirara walked over and supported Sango, who was trying to sit up. Pretty soon, Kagome brought the child back, washed and wrapped in a clean sheet, and gave it to Sango. Her eyes were tired, her hair was a mess and her hands were covered in blood, but she managed to smile gently and say, "Sango, it's a girl."
"A girl?" She whispered, bringing the baby close to her. Her eyes were shining, and it wasn't with tears now. She laughed quietly and said, "Inuyasha, Shippou, look – she has Miroku's eyes."
Inuyasha almost couldn't believe it – a tiny, wriggling, pink baby could make those whole nine months of hell worth it. Sango didn't seem to have a care in the world as she held the baby to her chest, and Inuyasha and Shippou looked down in awe. The baby wasn't crying anymore, and it was true – she had Miroku's blue-violet eyes.
"What's her name?" Shippou asked, wiggling his fingers in front of the baby and making her smile.
"Kaza." Sango whispered. The whole group stared at her.
"Kaza?" Kagome asked. "Are you sure?" Sango only nodded.
"Yo, Sango, she's got the Kazaana, and you know what that means." Inuyasha growled. "That means Naraku's still alive somewhere, and if he's still alive, that means Miroku probably is too."
"You really think so?" Sango asked hopefully. "Miroku's still alive?"
"Probably." He snorted. "And that baka houshi better be happy, wherever he is, cause that freaking baby was hell on all of us."
"Inuyasha!" Kagome said. "Sit!" He slammed to the ground, and Sango laughed and rocked the baby.
"Thank you all so much." She whispered. "Kaza wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."
Inuyasha scoffed at the emotional overload, but Kirara purred, Shippou blushed, and Kagome patted Sango's hand and said, "It was nothing. Tomorrow, we're going to find a village to settle down in and raise your baby."
Sango didn't reply – she'd already fallen asleep, and Kagome sighed and took the baby.
"Kaza, eh?" She muttered. Inuyasha walked over and looked at the baby. "She knows what that means, right? It's disturbingly ironic."
Inuyasha shrugged. "She is her father's daughter."
Crappy ending, I know, but I'm freaking exhausted. Childbirth scenes are fun to write, but I'm like, dead. So, at any rate, tell me if you liked it! I tried to make all the characters act as they usually would. Arigatou!
