Chapter 27
"Get me that bucket of water!" Kagome yelled from inside a hut. A demoness maiden ran to fetch it, bringing it to her side quickly. Kagome dunked the bloody rags into it, then wrung them out before placing them back on the screaming demoness in front of her.
She had been wandering aimlessly into different villages in search of anyone who needed her. She was a miko, so she might as well act the part. It had been about a week since she separated from the palace, and as each day passed without Sesshomaru strolling in on her with all his arrogance, demanding she returned…she began to believe he really wouldn't come for her.
Tired of feeling sorry for herself, she busied herself with aiding both humans and demons alike. The human villages were more easy to access than the stares and curses from the demon villages. But just as she was about to keep walking from this particular village bordering the northern and western lands, a young water demoness covered in blood came running up to her.
"Miko! Please! My sister is in delivery but she is in critical pain and she is bleeding! I don't know what is wrong or how to help her. The midwife in our village said she was 'hemorraging' and that both hers and the childs life were in the Kami's hands. Please, there must be something you can do!" she plead grabbing onto Kagome's leg. She had changed into the fighting suit Sesshomaru had given after several run-ins with rouge, hungry demons. She was able to fight them off, with the aid of her sword, but her clothes had been ruined and these were more comfortable to maneuver in.
Kagome eyed the girl cautiously. She wanted to help but a demoness in labor was a dangerous person to approach. Several people have lost their lives in assisting a demoness give birth, especially if she was aware of any danger to her infant. She could be delirious and attack Kagome.
Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed her way and her mind was made up. "Take me to her," she said already running towards the scream.
What she walked in on was more gruesome than most battles she's witnessed. The blood had spread all over the cot the mother was laying on and she looked half dead already. She could smell the vomit the woman had released probably from the pain. Kagome knelt down beside her and looked her in the eyes, noticing they were dilated.
"I am Priestess Kagome. I was sent to help you. Now, what is you're name?" Kagome asked her in a soothing voice, pushing healing energy towards her.
The demoness searched her with her wild eyes and threw her head back in agony as a contraction rattled her body, sending more blood out from her. "Mia," she eventually breathed out.
"Okay Mia, do you trust me to help you and you're baby? I need to send some energy into you and you need to accept it. I won't try to hurt you," she explained quickly as she knelt between her legs. The woman nodded, her black hair sticking to her pale face.
"Where is her mate?" Kagome asked unpacking her yellow sack quickly.
"He was taken to a villages a few miles away. The minute she began to hemorrhage he was sent into a fit of rage so they had to remove him," the midwife explained. Kagome nodded and began to rip a few rags out of her old outfit. Youkai males get very violent during the time of the birth of their young, and its expected that they should not be present.
Working quickly, Kagome poured soothing and healing energy into the woman, which calmed her slightly. The less stress she was under, the easier it would be to stop the bleeding. Kagome had taken a birthing class in school, and did some research on her own what to do in times like this. But this situation had gone on for too long, and she was concerned that she was too late.
She lifted the woman's legs to see how far she was dilated, and saw that she was only 3 inches. If the baby was trying to be born now, it was no wonder she was in so much pain. The midwife may have been too frightened by the blood to have noticed that she wasn't dilated enough to birth.
"Sterilize a dagger, quickly. Prepare also a needle with lamb-skin thread," she commanded. But before Kagome could make an incision, she would need to stop the bleeding, or Mia would bleed to death. Pressing her palms to Mia's belly, she searched with her energy to find the route of the hemorrhage. She found what she was hoping she wouldn't. The umbilical cord had wrapped around the fetus's head, and as she was trying to give birth to it, it tightened to the point of tearing. Both the mother and her baby were bleeding to death.
"Mia, I need you to make a very important decision. Mia, both you and the baby are bleeding out. I will try to save both of you, but here are your choices. I can save you, resulting in the possible death of the baby. Or I can save the baby, resulting in you're possible death," she said calmly.
"The baby!" Mia yelped out in a panic. "I don't care what happens to me, save my baby!" she said with tears flooding her face.
"Okay Mia. I'm going to put you to sleep. You won't feel anything. Just know that I will save you're baby," she promised. Mia nodded and stroked her belly. Kagome leaned to her neck and pushed down at her pressure point.
"I love you…little…one," she whispered just before she blacked out.
"The knife! Hurry! And sake!" Kagome yelled to the midwife. Kagome lifted the dress, exposing Mia's belly. She placed a rag under where she would cut, and told the midwife to catch any blood that dripped out. She poured the sake over her hands to sterilize them and rubbed them on a clean rag. Quickly, she made an incision 2 inches deep, opening the uterus. She pushed her hand into her belly, causing blood to pour out of her. The internal bleeding was worse than she anticipated. She worked hurriedly, but carefully, as she unraveled the cord from the baby's neck. Once it was loose, she grabbed the infants feet and pulled it from her belly. The maiden was ready to catch the baby with a warm blanket as Kagome passed it to her.
"It's a boy," she said smiling as he inhaled and let out a loud scream. She tied off the cord with lamb skin thread and found where it had torn. Using some of her energy, she patched up the tear and quickly the infant stopped bleeding. She cut him from his mother and the maiden took over with his care.
Kagome turned her attention back to the mother and asked the midwife to stitch her up while she worked on her bleeding. She had lost far too much blood and her life was quickly draining from her.
"Damn it, I can't save her," Kagome cursed to herself. She put her hands to her belly, trying to send as much healing waves as she could, but even still, she felt her life slip away from her. Tears welling up in her eyes, she accepted the inevitable, and took out a vile from her bag. She opened it, a foul smell coming from it. She held it to Mia's nose and she slowly awoke. Her screams were gone, and her face no longer bore the look of pain.
"My…baby," she croaked. The maiden came to her and knelt by her side, holding the infant close to his mother. She sniffed her baby and purred, lulling him to sleep. He opened his eyes, which were glittering orbs of clear blue. She held out her shaky hand and stroked his face gently. "I loved you, even before I met you. Live for me little one," she leaned up carefully and kissed the top of his head. Feeling weak, she rested back and looked to Kagome. "Thank you, priestess. Thank…" then there was silence.
The midwife bowed her head down, small sobs escaping her throat. Kagome's eyes welled up and she allowed the river flow of tears to run down her face. She said a prayer for her then rose silently. Her hands were smothered in blood, and the entire hut seemed like a massacre. But the coos of the baby were enough to make the moment beautiful. She had given her life for her child. A sacrifice such as that was great, and a miracle in itself.
"Thank you, Kagome," the maiden said. "You tried to save my sister. I know you did. But you did save my nephew. He will know of the great miko that delivered him," she promised, tears shining in her eyes. Kagome gave her a small bow and looked at the boy once more, before grabbing her bag to leave.
"Mia?" croaked a male voice from the door of the hut. They looked up to see the mate of the diseased mother. He saw her body laying motionless and he ran to her, his cries of sorrow defeaning to Kagome's ears.
"My son! Please! Where is my son?" he cried. The maiden walked to him and handed him his infant. He carefully took him and smiled, despite the pain of loosing his mate. He finally took notice of Kagome and growled, sensing her holy powers.
"Stop it, Hiro. She saved the life of you're son. We are in her debt," the midwife told him. He eyed her carefully then bowed his head to her.
"Thank you, priestess. Should you need something, I will be here in the village to return my debt," he said to her looking to his mate. He stroked her wet hair and kissed the top of her head.
"You are not in my debt. Kindness does not need to be paid. If you must return the favor, teach your son to value the life of humans. As I will teach human children to value the life of demons," she said pride fully. He looked at her in awe at her statement, then nodded his head.
"My son will never bare ill feelings to humans as long as I am to stop it. Thank you again."
Kagome bowed to him then left the hut, in much need of a bath. She remembered seeing a hot spring on her way to the village, and decided to retrace her steps. As she walked to the edge of the village, she caught the whispers of the peasants talking about her.
"She saved Lord Hiro's son. I heard it with my own ears!" came one villagers voice. Lord? If he was a lord why was his wife in such a small hut? She wondered.
"Lady Mia wanted to deliver in the midwife's hut instead of her own house. Do you suppose she knew she was going to die?" came another villager. That answers my question. I delivered the heir to a minor lord! Wait til Sesshomaru hears…
She stopped walking as she caught her own thoughts. Shaking herself off, she made her way to the spring before any lower demon could sniff out the blood.
Back at the western palace, Miyuki had finished arranging her plans to look for Kagome. She already had told him she would go for a walk along the borders of the palace to air out her thoughts. Not thinking twice of it, he left her to do as she pleased. She now would sneak off when the guards exchanged shifts, and follow Kagome's trail. She was only human, and it had only been three days since she left, so Miyuki didn't expect her to have gone very far. She estimated she would return before nightfall.
Seeing her chance to leave, Miyuki made her way to the palace doors. She was looking behind her should to see if anyone had seen her leave, when she unexpectedly bumped into someone with an 'oomph'.
"Hey, watch it," came the voice of a male child.
"Shippo, mind yourself," a woman chastised.
Miyuki noticed it was the taijiya Sesshomaru had spoken to her about. She must have been on her way out of the palace as well. "Sorry, I didn't sense you there. I was…distracted," Miyuki said apologizing.
"Please, don't apologize. It was nothing," Sango said with a smile. Shippo grumbled, rubbing his head where she had bumped into him. Sango took in Miyuki's appearance, not knowing why she seemed so familiar to her.
"Domo," Miyuki said smiling. She adjusted her kimono and the mark on her wrist flashed, catching Sango's eye. She gasped and stepped back a little, immediately bowing.
"Forgive me Lady Miyuki, I did not recognize you right away," Sango said, her mind reeling. The stories…they were true! Oh my god, Kagome!
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Miyuki asked, searching with her memory if she remembered this human, which would have been impossible since she'd been gone for so long.
"No, milady," Sango answered, standing straight. "There isn't a soul in my home village that does not know you're name."
Miyuki suddenly started laughing, her eyes twinkling. "You wouldn't be talking about the legend would you?" she asked, laughing harder at Sango's blush. "Taijiya, it is only a legend. Nothing more, nothing less," she said. She tucked a piece of hair that escaped behind her ear and looked to the gates. "Please, excuse me. I have somewhere I need to be," she said giving Sango a short bow. Sango returned it and smiled.
"Of course, don't let me keep you, It was a pleasure meeting you," she said respectfully.
"The pleasure is mine," she replied. In an instant, Miyuki sped off with the speed of a neko, leaving Sango staring after her. Her mind was spinning. Rumor or not, this was no coincidence. She heard from the slaves that the Eastern Princess had returned. For the life of her she couldn't remember her face. Then she remembered that image Kagome had shown her of her friend. It was her, in the future. There was a reason she disappeared from this time to 500 years in the future, ironically becoming Kagome's friend. Sango was a distinguished hunter. She could solve puzzles. She had all the pieces, but she needed help solving them.
Pivoting on her heel, she ran back towards the castle, Shippo bouncing behind her. "Shippo, go back to our room and stay there until I retrieve you," she told him glancing over her shoulder.
"Is everything okay Sango?" he asked nervous.
"Yes. When you get there tell Miroku's to meet me in Sesshomaru's office. Now!" she barked as she ran through the doors.