Disclaimer: I don't own jack!
Of Butterfly Wings
Chapter Eighty-One: Reminder
Kagome folded her arms over her chest as she watched Kikyou and a man she'd never met before approach the house. His skin was green and covered in gecko scales, so she'd surmised that he was the heteromorph boyfriend her sister had spoke of before.
"It's pretty crowded in the house," She greeted the two as they came to a stop. "I'll show you two to the room you'll be staying in but do take care to not wake the boys from their nap. They're quite fussy if their sleep is interrupted."
Kagome didn't care that her house was in complete and utter chaos when she invited the other two inside. An imprint of Jaken's outline had become permanently etched into Touya's favorite recliner. Her husband had sulked when he'd seen that the imp had claimed his seat as his sleeping spot, but didn't kick up a fuss about it.
An air mattress had been set up on the floor of the living room next to the twins' pack-and-play. Natsuo and Shouto had been sharing it for the past few nights while Rin and Fuyumi took what was once Shouto's room upstairs. Currently, Kikyou and Higuchi would have to take Fuyumi's room for the time being. Kagome couldn't bring herself to let anyone borrow Rei's room from her. The woman deserved whatever privacy she could get. On the other hand, no one was brave enough to ask to stay with her and Touya in the master suite. Sesshoumaru had taken up residence on their couch much to Jaken's abject horror. It was a strange sight to see but she didn't mind.
Having everyone under one roof was both chaotic and comforting in its own way.
"Talk about a full house." She heard Kikyou's boyfriend mutter in shock.
She shot them a quick smile, "Well everyone is on high alert. Sesshoumaru has had a security team to protect the perimeter of the house while the guys are out looking."
Kagome didn't bother to mention Inuyasha's name. There was no need to.
"So, what do you do in your free time?" She glanced at Higuchi.
She didn't want to be rude to her guest. She would be cordial with Kikyou but that didn't mean that she couldn't take the extra effort to get to know Higuchi as well. Touya mentioned that he'd been the heteromorph he'd helped some time back, so she'd take this as her chance to break the ice.
Higuchi blinked, "Well I prefer to stick to online gaming but lately I felt like I wanted to try something new."
Kagome didn't miss the way Kikyou clutched at his hand in a supportive manner.
He took a breath before he continued, "I want to write a book. There's a lot of misconceptions about heteromorph and I wanted to write something to bring attention to it."
Kagome felt her smile widen, "I think that's a wonderful goal. When writing about impactful subjects, it helps to have characters that people can relate to. Giving a character a platform is about more than just showcasing a topic. It's about showing the human emotions behind their experiences. From obstacles and setbacks to every small victory and success. Having people root for the character is a foundation that keeps people interested." She knew that she was rambling at this point but a part of her felt relieved to hear someone else share her interest.
She continued, "If you'd like, you can borrow some of my references. Fuyumi has most of my notes and research materials in the room you guys will be staying in. So feel free to look through them to your heart's content."
Kagome led them upstairs and held the door open for them.
"There's no window but it's also one of the most secure rooms in the house." Her eyes shifted towards Kikyou that time, "Let me know when you need to go for your ultrasound. I won't have mine for a few more weeks but you should be due soon."
Her sister nodded once before Kagome bid them a good day and retreated to the nursery where her twins were sleeping peacefully. Ohagi had squished himself between both boys, his emerald eyes flicking up to her as his tail twitched. The feline butted his head against Katsuo's cheek before doing the same to Tatsuo.
Kagome traced the tip of her finger over each of her sons' foreheads. Katsuo's brows pinched as a disgruntled look overtook his features. Meanwhile Tatsuo's lips curled up into a wide grin.
The twins in her stomach gave another kick as they demanded their own attention as well.
She had no idea where Inuyasha was or what exactly he wanted from her. His focus was currently on Kikyou but she knew that it'd only be a matter of time before he found her.
Katsuo started to sniffle, his piercing blue eyes opening to reveal the tears welling within them. Ohagi's purring grew louder as the cat attempted to comfort the tiny child.
"Oh there, there." She scooped her infant into her arms. "There's no need to cry."
The boys were around six months old but Katsuo began suffering from what they could only assume were nightmares. He'd wake up in the middle of the night wailing at the top of his lungs. They'd checked him several times over to see if he was hungry, had a soiled diaper or if he had hurt himself with his quirk. After exhausting every possibility, Kagome simply held him against her chest and let him listen to the sound of her heartbeat. Only then would Katsuo be soothed back into a peaceful slumber.
Tatsuo did not suffer from these midnight terrors, but his brother's wailing often woke him from his sleep too. Getting them both to calm down afterwards was always a difficult task. Lately the frequency of Katsuo's nightmares had increased. A part of her wondered if perhaps their son could sense the tension in the house and was sensitive to it.
"Hush now my little one," She sang next to his ear softly. "There's no need to cry."
Katsuo's murmurs gradually lessened to a quiet sigh. Once certain that he was fast asleep, she placed him back into his crib where Ohagi immediately nestled himself directly between both boys.
Her smile turned soft, "You're quite the little guardian. Make sure to chase away the monsters for them, my little gremlin."
Ohagi mewled in content.
Kagome sat in the rocking chair next to the boys' crib. She grabbed a book from the shelf and began reading.
She couldn't do anything about their situation right now. So the best thing she could do was just focus on her children and give them the love they deserved. She'd trust Touya to take care of the rest.
Her lips curled into a smile as she heard Tatsuo giggle in his sleep.
She couldn't imagine a better way to spend her day.
She was gone.
Not just gone but no where to be seen.
A low growl emanated from the back of his throat.
He'd been so damn close!
He'd known that Kikyou was supposed to go to her ultrasound at the hospital soon. Her mother told him as much. In fact she'd set up the appointment herself. So why the hell hadn't she shown up?
"You lied to me!" He hissed through the phone at the woman on the other end of the line.
He didn't give a damn that Kikyou was pregnant at the moment. Whether she kept the kid or got rid of it was of no consequence to him. The only thing that mattered was that she marry him. He needed the legal protection that carrying the Higurashi name would give him. That and Momo had made it perfectly clear that she would only help him if he managed to get her back in contact with her daughter.
Kikyou had apparently cut contact with her the second she'd graduated. She then dove head first into her hero work and hit her mother with a cease and desist letter.
He'd known that Momo wanted to use him as a means of forcing Kikyou to break her silence and return to the Shrine. What they found out instead was that Kikyou was now carrying the child of a gecko heteromorph.
He sat on his haunches as his growl grew louder.
Honestly he had no real interest in Kikyou. He just needed to use her as a means to an end. All the attraction he'd felt for her had vanished the moment she'd made her declaration for that scarred up bastard at the Sports Festival.
He tapped his finger against his bicep in irritation.
He'd spent months trying to seduce Kagome and couldn't even get her to kiss him. Yet the second that scarred freak got involved, she'd practically thrown herself at his feet. It was annoying but he knew the reason why she'd done it. She'd been pissed at him for getting distracted by Kikyou.
Kagome had loved him virtually all of their lives. She'd practically adored him when they were children. Having her fawn over him had been the ego boost he'd needed as he'd often been made fun of for his dog-shaped ears and claws. He was technically a heteromorph himself but he possessed enough human traits to earn a 'passing grade' from Momo.
His fangs snapped together as he sat back, keeping just out of sight of the pedestrians strolling the streets.
Kagome was always meant to be his wife. It didn't matter what that other bastard thought. She was his when they were young and she would remain to be his until the day they'd died. He just had to find to her remind her of that fact.
His ears perked as he caught a familiar scent on the wind.
His claws flexed as he made his way through the maze of concrete buildings and streets.
Kagome was here.
She was somewhere in this town.
His eyes thinned as he leapt over another building.
It didn't matter what Momo wanted anymore. His hero license be damned. He didn't care about the investigation that he had against him or the warrant he had for his arrest.
He needed to find Kagome and remind her of the reason why she was his in the first place.
His brows furrowed as he traced the scent.
It wasn't much farther.