"But what about the contract to the village?"
"I don't care." Inuyasha raised his nose with a flagrant importance, bristling at the question Kagome had asked in a not surprisingly incredulous reaction to his words.
Inuyasha had carried Kagome all the way back to the village, the long trip somewhat enjoyable as they spent the first day bashfully enjoying the depth of their exposed feelings for one another, and the second regrouping with the rest of their comrades, who were relieved to find the two alive and unharmed. Once they had arrived back in the village, Inuyasha had spared no time in rushing Kagome into the local shaman's tent to have medical attention carried out. Luckily, he was informed that she had not received too much damage, only a few bite marks and scrapes, though this was enough to enrage him all over again. Feeling even a cut to the skin was more than enough to demand Naraku's death at his hand all over, he only subdued his wrath when the shaman carried on with his report. The majority of Kagome's fatigue seemed to be from spiritual exhaustion; prescribed rest and a careful use of her powers for a little while, the physical exam resumed, and Inuyasha had been made to leave.
The others, Miroku, Sango, and Kikyo had been waiting- as well as the ever-present wolf yokai, who still wore a look of repugnant distaste on his face while approaching the transformed hanyou.
"Back to your useless self?" He had jeered, but Inuyasha was too blissful with contented rapture after his time with Kagome to react like an immature teenager and ignored the bait for a fight while greeting his friends.
Shippo had joined them at some point, emerging with Kaede to welcome the returning trekkers. The children sat to once side, listening to the stories from the older company with awe, wondering if one day they might enjoy such adventurous plots. For now, they resigned to listen to the tales over and over as they prodded for more details about a castle in the sky, of full demon Inuyasha, of a yokai using a fan for a weapon, and her ghostly little companion.
Once Kagome had been cleared, she joined her friends on Kikyo's porch. Inuyasha stood as she approached, pulling her into his arms immediately on contact. Kagome, glad to be held in the arms she craved the most, gratefully relaxed into his embrace and allowed him to rock her into his lap, ignoring the widened eyes of Sango and the sly eyebrow wriggling Miroku shot in their direction.
After a short lunch, the group dispersed; Sango to take care of her weapon and Miroku following after, eager to gain some alone time with the slayer. Their departure earned an eye roll from Shippo, who followed Kikyo and Kaede into the house to help clean up from the meal; only Koga departed with a snarky scoff in Inuyasha's direction, incapable of watching him hold onto Kagome for a second longer, leaving the two alone.
Inuyasha had lifted Kagome up, regardless of the protest she made, and bound into the woods to race along the edge of what he knew would become a cliff overlooking a view he couldn't wait to share with her. Here he had set her down and they'd settled into rest against one another, Inuyasha securing her with his arm around her waist, until he had turned her face gently with his fingertips to tell her of his intentions, that being:
"I want to go to the fountain. I want to complete the terms of the betrothal." Here he had clutched a strand of her hair, pulling it to his lips before gently letting it go and meeting her eyes with severity. "I want to do this with you."
"Y-You…" Kagome let the strand of hair sway back and forth, the only movement between them as she blinked in shock. "You want me to be your…"
"Well, mate… is what we call it." Glancing away from her and chewing his lip with one traitorous fang, he mumbled, "I don't know what humans call it, exactly. Especially not where you're from."
Here she had asked about the existing contract, and he had told her his truth, it couldn't matter less to him what some piece of paper drawn up before he had even met her said. Grabbing her hands and pulling her into him, he sank his face into her hair and breathed in, relaxing as her scent filled his lungs.
"The village will get what they want. The jewel, and an ally in me; I won't attack them and will even offer my protection." Kagome beamed up at him and he moved her bangs to the side, placing a warm and tender kiss to her forehead. "What is there to refuse? As long as their terms are met, that is, if I don't attack them, then I can mate who I want."
"I think you're forgetting something, Inuyasha."
Turning to face the somber voice that interrupted, Kagome smiled just as Inuyasha's lips pulled down into a scowl. Kikyo emerged from the shadows of the forest, her bow at her back and a smile tugging at her lips even as the hanyou stared her down, cursing her silently for interrupting.
"Kikyo!" Kagome burst forth and wrapped her arms excitedly around the priestess. Still not quite used to such physical affection, Kikyo gently patted Kagome's back, resolving to offer a one-armed hug, though she kept her hand on her bow as she did so.
Kagome pulled back and smiled, holding the hand of her originator.
"I'm so glad no one was harmed, and the jewel is in one piece." As if suddenly remembering its existence, Kagome's mouth popped open, and she reached into the pocket of her priestess robes borrowed from the village to pull the jewel out. The shimmering pink sphere was still attached to the rope of beads Miroku had made seemingly so long ago in their travels; Kagome quickly disconnected this and pocketed it again, but opened her palm to offer the Shikon Jewel to Kikyo. "Now I can return it to you, its rightful protector!"
Kikyo stared down into her palm with what could only be described as contempt, watching the jewel glimmer in the light of the sun. Finally, she glanced back up at Kagome, shaking her head with quiet dismissal.
"I do not want that jewel back in my life."
Opening her eyes and dropping her grin, Kagome let out a confused exclamation just as Inuyasha took a step back in surprise. They both watched as Kikyo sighed and stretched her arms above her head, smiling to herself for the first time in what seemed like an immeasurable period.
"You heard me correctly." The priestess nodded, shrugging her bow back upward as it had sunk down in her stretch. "The jewel is yours Kagome; I believe you possess the skill and power to watch over it as I had. You are capable of keeping it pure, just as you seem to keep pure this hanyou." Grunting with annoyance, Inuyasha rolled his eyes from behind Kagome's shoulder. Kikyo muffled a laugh, continuing on. "If you intend to traverse the limits of time, you very well should have a reason to do so. And, of course, resuming your training to help you protect the jewel can serve as one of those reasons."
Kagome held the jewel in her palm, feeling its power gliding over the surface of her skin, but also permeating into the energies of her soul, where her manna echoed in response. Slowly, she clenched her fingers around the jewel and nodded with a smile, placing it in her pocket again and wrapping her arms around Kikyo once more with a happy laugh of acceptance.
As Inuyasha and Kagome made their way back to the village, hand in hand, they spoke of their plans for the immediate future; for Kagome, this meant finally getting back home to see her family. Inuyasha listened as she rejoiced in the happiness of her departure, clenching his free fist inside of his sleeve nervously.
"Well, Kagome," He intercepted her exclamations as they came upon the clearing that housed the well, "Remember that we have to plan and leave for the ceremony. If you really meant it, you know, about the betrothal. It's a long trip, well you know, you've done the trip, and I don't want to have to come looking for you if-"
"Inuyasha," Kagome sighed, pulling his hand out of his sleeve to clench it in hers with a loving grasp. "Are you ridiculous? You're coming with me. I've been gone for so long; mom will want an explanation. And I'm going to have to explain to her how you saved my life. She'll want to thank you."
Inuyasha flushed as she stood up on her tiptoes to deliver a sweet and gratifying kiss to the tip of his nose. Hovering inches from his face, she added,
"Of course, she'll also very much want to know my future… er, mate."
She moved to sink back down, but Inuyasha caught her with one palm flat to the small of her back, shifting her weight from her toes to his hand so he could hold her in the air just in front of his face. Taking her lips in his, he ran his tongue along her bottom lip and clenched his teeth with a moan held back at his fangs. The word mate from her lips had been so devastating in its attraction he could hardly stand it. But now wasn't the time; not when he was about to meet the family of the woman he loved. Setting her back down to her feet, he placed his arm around her shoulder and took in a deep breath.
"Then, are you ready?" He couldn't help but grin at the foliage above and thought to himself briefly that this was where they had first met.
"I've been ready for a while now." Kagome laughed and wrapped her arm around his waist. He rapidly swung her up into his arms, clutching her legs and letting her relax into his chest. She yelped at the quickness of his motion, holding her arms around his neck as he plunged into the bone eaters well, ready to face whatever lay ahead as long as Kagome was by his side.
XOX
Kagome absently ran her hands over her belly, rubbing the swelling spot where her first child kicked incessantly, demanding its presence with a steady rhythm. Despite the slight discomfort, the miko smiled at the contact and flattened her hand to absorb the tiny vibrations, taking each movement as a sign that her first was healthy and active, two things she prayed for nightly.
With her legs splayed to the side of her, she reached for a basket of knitting that had been left unattended and decided to shift her focus to something else while in wait of her husband, mate, she thought, and smiled, beginning again on a pattern she had abandoned, a nice thick blanket for their baby.
A sudden clamour announced the arrival of Inuyasha and she sighed, lowering the work she had barely just begun. Sure enough, her mate rounded the corner, eyeing the project in her hands and diving to remove it without a single word of greeting.
"Kagome, you're working way too hard." Concern lacing his tone, her half-demon husband dropped to his knees and lowered his ear to her belly, listening for the resounding kicks he had grown used to seeking out. In moments his eyes lit up, responding to the lively movement in his mate's stomach. "There they are, Kagome, I can feel them!" Letting out a breath, Inuyasha cradled her stomach with both of his large hands, even swollen in such a way, feeling small in his grasp. He kissed her stomach and looked up at her lovingly, still stroking where their baby waited. "I can't believe how lucky I am. I can't believe this is real."
"It's real." Kagome smiled, running her fingers through his hair, and allowing him a moment to curl into her, resting his cheek on top of the vibrating belly.
Soon however, they had to stand, or Inuyasha had to stand, pulling the majority of Kagome's weight along with him. The time was coming soon, as Kikyo and Sango had warned. Sango had already borne three of Miroku's, and for most of the stages of Kagome's pregnancy, she had excitedly prepared her for what was to come. Lately, she had begun lowering her gaze and insisting Kagome take breaks and prepare for pain, often asking, "Are you alright, Kagome? Does anything hurt?"
She wanted to get to her family before the contractions came.
"Kagome," Inuyasha pressed, holding his wife's hand and supporting her back as they descended the threshold of their home together, a small and cozy hut right near to Miroku and Sango's. As they travelled past their friend's home, they heard the shrill sound of a baby's cry, and they looked to one another knowingly. "Are you sure you want to have our baby in your time? I know your people have fantastic medicine and everything, and your mom is there, but maybe the travel will be too much at this time… maybe we ought to wait until after."
"It will be safer." Kagome nodded, sure of herself. "Besides, I want to see my mom's face when her first grandchild comes. Once she gets to bond with them, we can let them recuperate for a bit, and as soon as we're strong enough, we can come back. I want them to know both worlds, and since I now control the time passage and who come and goes, our child can have the benefits of my world, and the benefits of yours. Best of all," she snuggled into Inuyasha's arms with a contented purr, "They will never have to be separated from you and I, and we can make them the same promise you made me. To protect them always, and never let harm befall them."
"You don't promise anything," Inuyasha amended, patting his wife's shoulder, "I'm here to protect you both. Got it?"
Chuckling at her mate, Kagome cuddled closer as they voyaged toward the well, prepared to jump once again into the rift of time; only on this occasion with a third companion growing between the two making its last contained trip. Kagome watched her mate pull back branches and carefully guide her through the thicker parts of the woods and found herself thankful as the sun behind them began to sink, reminded of the first time they'd travelled the woods together and he had thrown her roughly over her shoulder, ignoring her cries of protest. The memory made her smile, even entering the darkness of the forest ahead; this time, she knew no fear, only excitement. A life stretched ahead of her full of days with Inuyasha. She placed one hand on her stomach and felt the reverb of another small kick against the skin of her palm, as though their child sought to remind her that they, too, would be there to share all the days ahead.
She couldn't wait to meet the new creature she already loved so much; grasping her mate's hands in one of hers, leaving the other to rest on her belly, she headed into the forest, transient between the two times that held her growing family in their midst. Around her neck, the jewel glowed in the setting sun, swinging delicately from the beaded necklace, a reminder of their journey to a life unfolding before her.
THE END
A/N: Surprise! THE END! And thank you for reading my first completed fanfiction in over a decade. I'm so glad that I decided to sit down and commit to finishing something despite my anxieties; I've learned a lot just writing this, and look forward to starting, finishing and continuing the next projects! If you're interested in reading other stuff, you can find me on Archive & Tumblr. I hope you enjoyed, I know it's a little short and shifty but I'm glad I finished it; time to move on and hopefully write something better!
