Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. But I will one day.
Chapter 20: Pups
Sure enough, it was a long night for everyone in the hut that night. The pups were restless, hardly getting a bit of sleep from the uneasiness and tension. Sango, Kita, and Tani took turns caring for the infants. Both pups hadn't eaten very much, and that worried everyone. Makoto commented that it was probably the smell of the goat's milk that made the pups push it away, but they were hungry enough to take it a little at a time. The girl-pup seemed healthy enough. She still wasn't as alert or active as her brother, but she was well on her way to a full recovery.
Kagome, on the other hand, had yet to waken. There was one point during the night when she stopped breathing completely. InuYasha stayed up with her all night. It was one of those moments that reminded everyone how much he really relied on Kagome. Before her, he had nothing. Without her, he would truly be lost. Sure, he'd keep going, for his friends and pups, but if Kagome were to die, part of InuYasha would die with her.
After that slight scare, the night went by slowly. Kagome's breathing had returned to normal, and she seemed to be sleeping peacefully. That didn't stop the worry at all. Many of the villagers came around the next morning to check on their village miko and the new additions. Between Shippou, Makoto, and of course InuYasha, none of them were allowed within fifty yards of the hut entrance. Rumors were going around the whole village that she had passed during the night.
Mai came by occasionally, and with the help of Kisho she was able to keep the villagers from getting themselves hurt by the weary hanyous and youkai. Kita pretty much stayed by Makoto's side, occasionally leaving him only to look after Hana and Yumi when need be, but most of the time the two were under close watch of Kirara. Cho had stayed in the hut with Sango to help out as much as possible. Not that there was much to do. Mostly she just help cook food that no one seemed to want, held Kagome's head while Sango tried to get her to drink a bit of water, changed and washed blankets, and mixing herbs her father had suggested to rebuild Kagome's energy.
Miroku mainly sat and watched over his friend. Kagome had done so much for him and Sango. She's the one who really brought the two together. Kagome was more than just a dear friend, she was family. Miroku alone knew the great risk Kagome had taken. She didn't only risk her life trying to save the pup, she risked her very soul saving the child. Giving energy, life energy, to anyone, was a major risk for the miko. When transferring such energy, in such a great amount, it would be easy to completely shatter your own existence.
Miroku shivered at his own thoughts. The outcome would be much like the effects of his wind-tunnel. Stuck in a complete void for all eternity. There would be nothing but darkness, endless darkness. Kagome would have been completely lost to this world if she hadn't had such control over her powers. She would be living, but dead. Deaf and blind to the world. Then, she would have simply ceased to exist. Never had Miroku heard of anyone trying to transfer their life-energy in such a way. The outcome had always been too risky for anyone to try. But she had done it. She had done the unimaginable, and survived.
Miroku had little doubt that Kagome would not awaken. He had felt her spirit slowly start to connect back to her body during the early morning hours, but didn't tell anyone, not just yet. She was still too far away to be completely sure, and he didn't want to give out false hopes, especially to that group. Miroku hated to keep such news from InuYasha, but was bent on keeping his mouth shut unto he was more sure of himself. Instead, he did the only thing he could do for InuYasha. He had placed sutras for calling forth energy all around Kagome's futon at InuYasha's request. Miroku had warned him, since he had youkai blood, the sutras would have an effect on him if he stayed too close, but the hanyou refused to listen. Miroku could tell he was in pain.
The first day came and went, which led to another long night full of crying pups, moping sons, and a very depressed mate. He hadn't even taken the time to give the pups names, saying that Kagome would 'sit' him a thousand times if he were to name them without her. Instead, he took to calling them 'baby girl' and 'squirt'. He spent hours holding the pups and nuzzling close to Kagome, careful to not let Miroku's sutras touch the pups. Finally, when the others were taking care of things in the village and the pups were three-days old, Kagome's eyes opened. InuYasha had the pups in their baskets and was on his knees by her side in a flash.
"Kagome?" he soothed back her hair as she blinked blankly at him. "Kagome…?"
"InuYasha…how long have I been out?" her voice was hoarse and cracked from not being used for so long.
"A few days." He replied. InuYasha pushed her back down as she tried to sit up. "Don't. Just lay down for awhile."
"Are the pups alright?"
"Keh. They're fine. They're both fine. Been waiting to meet you." He laid down next to her and snuggled her closely. "I thought I had lost you for good. I don't know what I would have done without you, Kagome."
Kagome sighed and closed her eyes. "How is everyone else?"
"Been waiting on you to wakeup. Stupid wench." He mumbled into her neck, placing kisses along the way. "If you ever do anything like that again I'll FIND someone to make YOU a subduing necklace."
"Oh really?" Kagome smirked and pulled on the beads around InuYasha's neck, effectively connecting her lips with his.
"I don't know, but I think Okaa's doing fine. What do you think Shippou?" InuYasha and Kagome jumped at the sight of Makoto and Shippou, along with the others standing behind them, at the door of the hut with smirks across their faces.
"I think she's doing rather well, Makoto. What about you, Miroku?"
"Well, obviously she regained enough energy for pleasantries. I'd say she will be fine if InuYasha can stay away from her long enough for her to fully recover."
"Miroku…" InuYasha warned with a glare and snarl. Makoto and Shippou had already made their way to their mother's side.
"Glad you're okay, Okaa-san. You had all of us worried." Makoto said with his ears drooped.
Shippou nodded solemnly in agreement. Then smirked. "Yea, we're glad you're awake. Oyaji has been driving everyone nuts. What with the moping, and whining, and all. He cries more than the pups do." After that Shippou busted out of the hut with an enraged hanyou following close behind. Kagome laughed as she watched them through the entrance. It was nice to know InuYasha cared about her so much, even though he still hated to show that much of himself to others.
"Get back here, Shippou! I'll use that tail of yours to line the pups' baskets!"
"Okaa, help! Oyaji's gonna kill meee!"
Kagome sighed and rolled her eyes at the kitsune's old tactics. Though the years he had learned to stay on InuYasha's good side for most of the time, but his little tricks and mouth-offs would occasionally bring him back into the same situation, relying on Kagome to same him from a thumping. "Sit." 'THUMP!'
"Augh…Kagome…"
Kagome turned to the pups who had started crying again with all the commotion going on around them. InuYasha dragged himself inside, covered in dirt and mumbling incoherent words to himself with a very smug looking kitsune following a few feet behind. Tani elbowed him in the stomach as soon as he got close enough. Makoto rolled his eyes and shook his head disapprovingly, but smirked the whole time.
InuYasha reached into the baskets and pulled out both the pups in each of his arms, settling himself next to Kagome who immediately reached for her little girl. Sparkling, silver eyes gazed back at her questioningly, like she was sensing something familiar but still couldn't figure it out. Kagome's daughter didn't know her, but that would change. They would have plenty of time for all that now.
"Are you finally going to name them?" Sango asked.
"Name them? You mean InuYasha hasn't given them names!"
InuYasha gulped. "I thought you would want to be here for that…"
"They're been here all this time and still don't have names? What were you calling them!"
"He…" InuYasha clamped his hand over Makoto's mouth before the hanyou could get another word out.
"It doesn't matter, now. You're here and now we can name them." InuYasha tilted the boy in his arms for everyone to see. "Start with him."
Kagome took a minute to look him over. His hair, almost completely jet-black except for the silver streak on one of his ears, made his golden eyes glow with a roaring flame. That was the feature that stood out the most on the boy-pup, his fiery eyes. "Mehiji (simply put, child with fiery eyes)," she said. The pup's ear twitched toward his mother as she said the name.
"Keh. Mehiji. That's it then, Mehiji. Now what about baby-girl?"
"Baby-girl?" Kagome raised an eyebrow. InuYasha shrugged his shoulders. "Right…"
"Gina."
"Huh?"
"Gina. I like Gina." InuYasha eyed Kagome. She seemed to be thinking things over in her head before she smiled and nodded.
"I like it. Gina. So Mehiji and Gina it is, then." Kagome gave a big yawn and slumped back against the futon.
"Alright, Okaa, that's enough for today. You and Oyaji need to get some rest. Makoto and I will look after the pups tonight." Shippou reached out and grabbed Gina, motioning for Makoto to take Mehiji.
InuYasha suddenly felt really tired, like the weight of the past few days was finally lifted from his shoulders and he could finally rest. He tried to no avail to stifle a yawn as he turned to his older boys. "Don't go far. I want those two within sniffing distance at all times, got it!"
"We got it, Oyaji. They can stay with me and Tani for the night, and we'll bring them back as soon as you two wake in the morning."
InuYasha lifted one eyebrow above his half-closed eyes. "Sure you can handle it? They haven't ever been away from me and Kagome."
"We've got it Oyaji, no problem."
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Makoto and Kita's ears were plastered to their heads to block out all the wailing coming from the small pups. Tani was walking around with Gina in her arms, trying to sooth the girl's cries. Shippou had his hands full trying to change the cloth diaper on Makoto while holding his nose and avoiding… accidents.
"Shippou, I can't do this!" Tani whined to her mate. "She just keeps crying. She's not hungry, she's not dirty, why won't she just stop crying!"
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"Don't you think you should go get them now, InuYasha?" Kagome poked her mate in the side.
"Why? He'll have to get use to it soon enough." He couldn't help the smug grin that popped up on his face. "Besides, he said they could take care of the pups, remember?"
"InuYasha…go get them. You're going to have poor Tani scared out of her mind."
"Okay, okay. Keh."
InuYasha got to his knees, nuzzling Kagome's neck before pushing aside the reed door and made his way to Shippou's hut, not too far away. He could hear the noise yards away. And it wasn't just the pups he was hearing.
"What do I do with it now!" Shippou yelled, holding the soiled cloth diaper between his index finger and thumb. He swirled around, nearly hitting Makoto in the face with the offending object.
Makoto tripped over his own feet backing away from the diaper. "Watch where you're pointing that thing, BAKA!"
"Take it outside and dump it, stupid!" Shippou waved the diaper in front of the hanyou.
"Get that thing away from me!"
"Take it!"
"No!"
"Makoto!"
"Shippou, I'm not taking that thing, it stinks!"
"What do you expect, spring water and rose petals! I've got Mehiji, you take it."
"I'll get Mehiji and you can take it!"
"Stop yelling, Makoto, you're making things worse." Kita shook her head and grabbed the diaper, giving both the brothers a gaze that told them to stop being so childish over the object. Stepping outside, she used a bucket of water to wash the cloth clean and hung it up on a line with the rest of the laundry. Before she turned to go back inside, she felt a pair of eyes upon her, a shiver running up her spine. Sensing the she-wolf's sudden discomfort, InuYasha stepped out from the side of the hut so she could see it was just him. Kita let out a silent sigh of relief; folding her hands in font of her she gave InuYasha a slight bow. "Good afternoon, InuYasha-sama."
"Keh. None of that junk around me, girl. It's InuYasha. Just InuYasha." The girl nodded and glanced toward the door. "Don't mind me, just picking up the pups before Kagome starts 'sitting' me." Stepping through the door, he was met with gleeful faces.
"Oyaji!" Both Shippou and Makoto exclaimed at the same time. Shippou hesitated. "We…uh…thought you and Okaa were resting."
"Who can rest when I can hear the pups whining all the way back there!" He reached out and took Mehiji from Shippou, walked over to Tani and took Gina in his other arm. The wailing stopped almost instantly. "Word of advice. Never take pups this young away from their parents, bakas."
"Why didn't you tell us that in the first place!"
InuYasha shrugged with a smirk. "You learned it, didn't you?"
A/N:
Work, work, work. Anyway…the website no longer exists, go to the forum for Reviewer Point updates. It's easier for me to update.
Kachikitsucasa dot proboards104 dot com
Fluff is coming up, as well as fights. Secrets are revealed about one of the pups, first new moon, more babysitting, did I mention fluff?