Trinity Blood Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Shadows of Time ❯ Chapter 22

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Title: The Shadows of Time

Author: Ryukotsusei

Fandom: Inuyasha and Trinity Blood

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Violence, torture, language, lemons, spoilers for the entire series just to be safe, and the possibility of out of character characterizations. Read at your own risk.

Pairings: Tres Iqus x Kagome Higurashi x Abel Nightroad

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Trinity Blood. The series belong to Rumiko Takahashi, and the late Sunao Yoshido. I make no money off of this fan fiction.

Chapter Twenty Two

Kagome stared tiredly towards the door and then back to the redhead that had been her near constant companion since Inuyasha had left. Every day she woke up with the hopes that he would be back and that Abel would be with him, yet time after time she would only be greeted with disappointment.

Still, she refused to give up hope that they would arrive soon and tried not to allow her spirits to sink too far, but it was far from easy. Weakly she tried to sit up and, when Tres moved to assist her, gave him a grateful smile. As usual, he took up a position behind her so that she could be pillowed comfortably against his chest and the warm embrace of his arm wrapped around her helped to sooth her immensely.

For a while she laid there and listened to the sound of his breathing, content to just sit there in silence. She knew that he wasn't about to complain, not when their time alone was so infrequent now. There was almost constantly someone coming in and out of the hut to check on her, whether it was one of her friends or one of the villagers who had taken it upon themselves to look after her as well. 'Everyone is being so sweet, but I just want this over with. I'm so darned tired.'

It was all so touching really, and to her surprise, several of the men had picked up construction of the house where Inuyasha had left off. Tres went to help occasionally, but most of his time was now spent in here with her and she wasn't about to complain. Slowly though, a sense of anticipation started to build and she began to wonder if today would be the day that Abel and Inuyasha would return. Closing her eyes, she tried to feel for the Crusnik through the bond, but she just didn't have the energy to make the connection. In fact, she couldn't even feel Tres anymore unless he was touching her and that was a development that consumed her with worry. If she had become that weak, just how much longer did she have before her body gave out completely?

Finally she just couldn't take it anymore and she looked up into Tres' eyes, “Do you.. think we could go outside for a little while?” The circle that he thoughts had begun to take were bordering on unbearable and she needed something to take her mind off of how dire the situation had become. Perhaps it was just the fact that she'd been trapped in the hut for so long and the fresh air would be a welcome change.

“Negative, you are not well enough to leave the hut,” Tres replied and held her closer, knowing that she wasn't likely to accept his answer. He knew why she'd asked, and he could sense exactly what she was feeling but he wasn't going to voice it just yet. If only she had a bit more strength and energy, she'd be able to sense just how close their friends were. But he wouldn't mention it, not yet anyway. To do so would only excite her into expending energy that she couldn't afford to waste.

“I'm not asking to walk, I just... I want to feel the sun on my face, even if it's only for a few minutes,” Kagome said, trying not to sound like a whining two year old, “It's warm outside, I'm sure if we brought a blanket I'd be fine. It'll be just like we're sitting in here, only warmer and with a better view.” Even now she could picture the way the trees were beginning to bloom now that spring was well under way and she wanted to see at least some color while she was awake.

On the surface, the request didn't exactly sound unreasonable but still Tres wasn't so sure that he should allow it. That Kaede had suggested the exact same thing not long ago while Kagome was asleep gave some weight to the miko's request even if he preferred to keep her inside and safe where he could protect her. Eventually though, he was forced to concede that he couldn't protect her from everything and the sun would likely do her some good.

“You will tell me if you begin feeling unwell,” he stated firmly, allowing her no room for an argument. Even so, he knew it was unlikely that she'd mention it if anything changed, so it would be up to him to monitor her carefully.

“Of course,” Kagome replied with the smallest of smiles. By the look on his face, she could tell that she had won a small victory and she'd get the chance to be outside for a few minutes.

“I will prepare a place for you to rest outside. Remain here while I do so,” Tres said and propped her back against the pillows. There was no way he was going to carry her outside and then force her to stand while he arranged things to his liking. Placing her against the hard ground where she could catch even the slightest of chills was a risk he wasn't about to take.

“I'll do it for you,” Shippo said from the doorway and then bolted for the blankets that had been folded and set off to the side. It was the least that he could do to help and this would be a rare and often hoped for chance to spend some time with Kagome. With how tired she always was now it wasn't often that they even had the chance to talk, much less do anything else. Even his drawings did little to bring a smile to her face and watching her fade a little more each day was distressing. He'd already lost his parents, the two people closest in his heart and he didn't know if he could bear to lose a third.

But he still held hope that things would change and she'd get better. Perhaps taking her outside would be the first step in that direction, there just wasn't any way of knowing for sure. ' Kagome's been like a bird in a cage, without a way to break free. I hope things change for the better soon.'

“Thank you, Shippo,” Kagome said and smiled at the kit when he paused to look over at her. It was of no surprise that he was going out of his way and trying to help out as much as he could. Unfortunately there just wasn't much that he could do at this point and she felt bad, because she knew she'd been neglecting him. Even though it couldn't be helped, that still didn't stop the feelings of guilt that came with that knowledge.

“You're welcome, Kagome,” he replied quickly and bounded out the door to complete his task. The question was, where to set the blankets down at? For a moment he couldn't decide until he remembered a small patch of wild flowers just outside the village. It was a bit farther than he would have preferred, and would probably raise an objection from Tres as well. But he knew that it would make her happier to see such a bright and cheery scene rather than the side of someone's hut, so he'd take the risk of gaining the redhead's disapproval to do what he thought was right.

Without wasting anytime he ran to the spot and then began spreading the blankets out, making sure that there were no rocks protruding from the ground that would make the miko uncomfortable while she rested. Once he was finished, a frown marred his face when the slight breeze began tugging at the edges of the blankets, just enough to disturb the overall effect.

It was only slightly troublesome, but if the wind were to pick up anymore it would become an issue. So to resolve the problem, he weighted the corners down with small stones until he was certain they wouldn't move. Only when he was satisfied with his handiwork did he run back to Kaede's and stick his head inside the door, “It's ready, I think you'll like the spot I picked, Kagome.”

“I'm sure I will,” she replied gently and waited for Tres to help her up. There was no containing the excitement that had begun to build at the prospect of getting to go outside. Yet it wasn't much of a surprise when the redhead knelt down and picked her up, gently cradling her against his chest before walking outside. A small smile touched her face when the sun caressed her skin, reminding her of why spring was her favorite time of year.

With the miko securely in his arms, Tres began following the kitsune to the destination that had been prepared. When they reached the edge of the village, he nearly stopped, but when he saw the look of peace on Kagome's face it kept walking. It was too far away from Kaede's hut for his liking, however, there was no denying that being outside made her happier than she'd been in a very long time. Fortunately, he could see that the small field of flowers wasn't that much farther away and they'd be there before long.

Anxiously Shippo waited while Kagome looked at the spot he had picked. Although she seemed happy with it, he wanted to be sure that she hadn't been wanting to go someplace else.

Do you like it?” he asked uneasily, after Tres had taken the time to set her on the blanket and she'd gotten the opportunity to look around.

“It's beautiful,” she replied with a smile and watched as a butterfly flew from one flower to another, seemingly without a care in the world. This was what she missed, being trapped inside the hut as she usually was. While she knew it was for her own good, she couldn't help but wonder if she was ever going to be able to enjoy small things like this again.

“I'm glad you like it,” Shippo said and moved to sit down beside her. He wasn't about to try climbing in her lap, or anything that might make her uncomfortable. For now he was content to just remain near and know that he'd been the one to put a smile on her face this time. Although he didn't say anything, he missed the days where she would play with his tail and comb through it with her fingers. As if to tempt her, he brushed the tip of it against her fingers and waited to see if she'd take the bait.

Kagome giggled to herself when she realized what Shippo was doing. “Is that a hint?” she asked, just before she began running her fingers through the soft fur. Based on the look of delight he was giving her, she'd say that it had been.

As Tres watched the two of them interact, he contemplated just what kind of mother the woman would make. Few people held the amount of compassion that she did, and she exhibited that the most when she was around Shippo. That wasn't to say that she mothered the kitsune, in fact, that definitely wasn't the case. But one could easily see her caring nature the most when she was with him. He could only imagine what it would be like once she had a child of her own to care for. In a small way, he was jealous because that was something he'd never had. There was no mother, nor even a childhood. His life had began on the assembly line and taken shape when they'd fused cultivated organs with the robotic body they'd made. Even though he was human now, that didn't change the fact that he knew nothing about growing up or a mother's touch through first hand experience.

“Don't worry, Tres, I'll pet you too if you want,” Kagome giggled softly and reached a shaky hand up to run her fingers though his red hair. While she couldn't read his thoughts, his feelings were clear, even if she couldn't know that she'd misinterpreted what they were about.

The comment had Tres snorting in amusement, but he didn't make an attempt to stop her. In fact, he rather liked it when she did things like this. It did wonders to reassure him that she was telling the truth and hadn't blamed him for what had happened. Yet that peace didn't last long and he knew before anyone said anything that they had visitors. He took a deep breath and steeled himself for the reunion that was about to occur.

“Aren't you supposed to be inside resting?” Inuyasha asked gruffly, having just come upon the rather touching scene of Kagome petting the both Shippo and Tres like they were her pampered pets. 'That's actually a good description for the both of them now that I think about it.'

Immediately Kagome's head snapped around in surprise and upset her balance in the process, which forced Tres to tighten his arms in order to steady her. Although she knew Inuyasha was there, her immediate concern was whether or not Abel had come with him. All the doubts she'd had as to whether or not he'd be able to bring the Crusnik with him came flooding back, threatening to drown her. Yet she didn't have long to wonder and tears welled up in her eyes when she saw him standing there, looking like he wasn't sure if he'd even be welcomed or not.

“Abel,” she said, calling his name as she tried to get up to greet him. Strong, but gentle arms held her down to keep her from injuring herself, yet she still continued to struggle. “Let me go! Please, Tres.”

“Don't get up, Kagome,” Abel said gently and walked towards her. His gaze met Tres' for a moment and in that instant they came to an understanding. For now at least, the redhead wouldn't interfere which was exactly what he needed. Slowly he went down to his knees and waited to see what she would do. It would be well within her rights to scream at him for what he'd done, or perhaps even hit him. Whatever her reaction, he would take it and then do what he could to help her. So he was taken by surprise when she pulled free of Tres' grip and threw herself into his arms. Her harsh sobs broke his heart and it was all he could do to hold her close, giving her the comfort she so desperately needed.

“You came back,” she whispered brokenly into his coat and clutched the soft material between her fingers as if she was afraid he'd leave her again. The shock of seeing him standing there had broken the dam inside her that had been holding back the flood of emotions she'd been bottling up inside and now she was helpless against the onslaught.

“How could I not?” Abel asked quietly and stroked her hair to calm her. He certainly hadn't been expecting this reaction, but it cemented any doubts he might have had. Leaving had been the wrong choice and he wouldn't make the same mistake again. “I'm sorry, Kagome. I never meant to hurt you. I just...”

“I know,” Kagome said quietly, not daring to look at him, “Promise me you'll stay. Even if you want nothing more to do with me, I couldn't bear it if you left again.” To have him walk away a second time would be too much and it was a possibility she couldn't stand to even consider.

“Don't even think that way,” Abel said, his voice harsh with repressed emotion, “Look at me, Kagome.” When she turned to look up into his eyes, he began to speak again, “It was a selfish mistake and you're the one who had to pay for it. But I'm here now, and I'm not going to leave you again. I promise.”

Silently Tres watched the two of them and when Abel pressed his lips to the girl's forehead, he closed his eyes. This was something Kagome needed, even if it hurt for him to watch. He would not interfere, he'd done too much of that already. Quietly he stood up and began to walk away so that they could have some time alone to talk. He could at least give them that much.

Yet before he'd gotten more than a few feet away, Inuyasha was beside him and laying a hand on his shoulder to stop him. He didn't want to be there, not at the moment. Nor did he wish to speak with the hanyou who no doubt had a scathing remark for him. “Is there something you require?”

“Yeah, I want to know where you think you're going. Are you just going to walk away now?” Inuyasha snapped, although he kept his voice low enough so as not to disturb the two behind them. In his opinion this was exactly what Tres needed to see instead of running away.

“My presence is not required at this time,” Tres replied tiredly and moved to shrug the hand off of his shoulder, but the hanyou merely tightened his grip.

“No, you're right. It's not required, but this is something you need to watch,” Inuyasha said and forced the man to turn around so he could see them. “You see the way she's crying? The two of you caused that and right now I'm going to lay most of the blame on you whether you like it or not. You're the one who allowed it to get this far. You could have stopped it, but you didn't. You want to know why I stopped you from leaving? It's because you need to see what you've done. I'll be damned if I'm going to let you make the same mistake twice.”

Inuyasha took a deep breath, trying to get his temper under control. He'd spent a lot of time talking with the Crusnik, just to find out what the hell had lit a fire under the man's ass. He couldn't agree with his way of thinking, but he understood why he'd come to the decision, even if he didn't like it. And one of the things he'd made damned sure of was that Nightroad wasn't going to leave again. That in itself had the potential of causing major problems and that was why he was standing beside Tres now, trying to prevent it. “If you haven't figured it out by now, he's not leaving again. No matter how much you want him to. Now you can decide to cause problems if you want, but I want you to take a good hard look at the way she's crying. It's only going to get worse if you can't accept the fact that she needs you both, even after the kid is born. Are those tears worth it to you? Or would you rather she be the one who gets to be happy for a change?”

The accusation was enough to fill Tres with a smoldering rage, but only because it was true and everyone knew it. That alone would have been enough to fill him with shame for what he had done, but he wasn't going to apologize to the hanyou. While he might have gone out of his way to bring Father Nightroad back, he wasn't the one who deserved the apology. That alone had been reserved for Kagome and he'd already given it. Roughly he shrugged the hand off of his shoulder and fixed Inuyasha with a steely glare, “We've already come to an understanding and your interference is no longer needed. We will do what is necessary to make her happy, anything more than that is not your concern.”

“Then don't make it my business and we'll get along just fine,” Inuyasha said with his voice full of contempt. In the end he really didn't give a damn how they managed to work it out, so long as they did so. But until that happened, he was going to continue watching and the moment either of them stepped out of line he'd be more than happy to remind them of just how things were going to go from here on out.

While Tres stood there looking like he wished to send him to hell, Inuyasha turned his back on the man and walked back towards the two sitting on the blanket. “Not to break up this little reunion, but don't you think it's time for you to go back inside?” he asked quietly. He disliked the fact that she was outside in the first place, but now with the wind picking up he had ample reason to object. The change in her appearance during the time that he was gone was nothing short of shocking and it wasn't surprising that she hadn't laid into Abel with the initial anger he'd been expecting her to; she just didn't have the strength to do so anymore.

Kagome shook her head slightly, “I'm fine out here for now, Inuyasha.” The reality was that she didn't want to move and the way that Abel had his arms around her kept most of the wind from touching her.

“He's right, Kagome,” Abel said gently, knowing that the hanyou had a point. As much as he'd rather stay where he was, he wasn't going to take the chance of her coming down with another illness on top of it all. Before she could begin to protest, he picked her up and began walking towards the village, his destination clear. To his surprise, Tres didn't say anything or even attempt to take her from his arms, which relieved him slightly. It was a given that eventually he would have to relinquish his hold on her so that things didn't become strained between them, but that didn't mean that he wanted his time with her to end so soon.

The trip back was silent, and even though more than one villager gave the Crusnik disgusted looks as they walked past, he paid them no mind. They weren't important, not at the moment anyway. He'd deal with the others and their scorn later, when he could afford to devote the necessary time to them. But for now he was focused completely on the woman in his arms and as he studied the changes that had overtaken her, he knew that if he'd even been a couple of days later he would have been attending her funeral rather than reuniting with her.

Oblivious to the dark turn that Abel's thoughts had taken, Inuyasha held the mat to the hut aside and allowed the man to carry the miko in before he and Tres followed. While the Crusnik got the girl settled on the futon he remained silent, but he did arch a brow in surprise when Abel laid down next to her. While he'd become accustomed to Tres playing a human pillow, his partner was taking it a step farther. “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable why don't you.”

Under any other circumstance, Abel might have blushed upon hearing the comment, but this time he met the hanyou's eyes confidently. “I ask for your indulgence in this, Inuyasha. Physical contact is a necessity in order to use my presence to repress the child's energy and slow down the rate of growth. Being in the room would ordinarily be enough, however with as far as this has progressed, it's going to take some time to get under control.”

It wasn't exactly an untruth, but it was coming close, assuming that the child had anything at all in common with a vampire. He still wasn't certain on that account given that there was no precedence of any of the Crusnik reproducing. Yet all he would have had to do was sit next to her and place a hand on her bulging stomach rather than going to the extreme that he'd chosen. The simple fact of the matter was, he wasn't above using this as an excuse to hold her for a little while longer.

Inuyasha couldn't help but wonder if the man was exaggerating just a bit, but since Kagome seemed to be comfortable with the arrangement, he wasn't going to say anything further about it. However he wasn't going to leave either and now seemed as good of a time as any to ask some of the questions that had been running through his mind.

Okay. Now that we have you here,” he began and scratched his head, “and we've determined that the kid is yours, do you think its going to be one of the blood sucking variety or is it gonna end up more human than anything else?” He nearly wanted to smack his own head when he realized how that sounded, but it was too late to take it back now.

“Inuyasha,” Abel stated dryly, “If you're asking if the child will be a Crusnik, that I cannot answer, but in this case, it's all or nothing. You cannot be half Crusnik, half human.” Even he had no idea if another Crusnik was even possible, but he supposed that they would be finding out shortly. Really, there was no other explanation for the rapid growth rate of the child she carried, but he still couldn't give them a guaranteed answer. Slowly he traced his fingers over the miko's stomach and felt the child shift beneath them. Unless he missed his guess, it would only be a couple of weeks at most before he or she was born and at least part of the questions would be resolved.

“What do you mean? Are you telling me that you can't tell even though you're next to her now?” Inuyasha asked, his eyes going wide with surprise. What were the chances that even Abel couldn't answer the damned question? 'And here I thought that he'd be able to tell just by getting near her again. So much for that theory.'

“That's exactly what I'm saying,” he replied with a sigh, “You must remember that it's the Bacillus that contains the virus that changed humans into vampires because it destroys the red blood cells, forcing them to consume blood to help replenish them. The nanomachines are another form of alien technology. Even the colonists didn't know how to use them for certain and most of the test subjects did not survive. However, I believe that to a certain extent, they are a cybernetic organism, on a molecular level. With my first death, I failed to fuse with them completely and it was only because Lady Caterina added another dose to my body that I was able to come back to life. However, when that happened, I fused with them completely. The only other person to do so went insane and had to be destroyed.” It was shortening a lot of the story, but Abel really didn't want to have to explain how he'd been forced to kill his own brother.

“But you managed to keep your mind intact,” Kagome murmured quietly. The sounds of their voices were comforting, lulling her to sleep. However she wished to hear what they had to say and was now fighting that darkness off with a strength she didn't know she had currently possessed.

“I did. But it still leaves a few possibilities for our child. Since he or she is a combination of our genes and the nanomachines fused on a molecular level with my body, there is a chance that the child will have them as well. However, it's pure speculation since there's no precedence for it. I cannot predict whether the child will be like me or not,” Abel replied, wishing that he could give them a better answer.

In a way, he was thankful that it was a possibility the nanomachines had entered the child's body, and that they didn't have to worry about the child being born a Methuselah. But that train of thought was not for any reason of power. If he or she had been born a Methuselah, then feeding the child would have become a major issue. The villagers would not wish to have what they would deem a monster in their midst. However, being a Crusnik would mean that the child would be able to subsist on normal food, and the blood of demons if it became a necessity.

If there was one thing that he had learned in his time here, it was that demons lived by the rule of kill or be killed. Many different species fed on blood specifically, so the child would not necessarily stand out as anything unusual. It would just be up to him to protect the young one until he or she was strong enough to hunt and defend against those who would wish to destroy it, but that was his job as the father to provide for the child anyway.

“Great... We have no way of knowing if it's a boy or a girl. We don't even know if the baby's going to be a human, or Crusnik. I'm tired of surprises,” Kagome said, burying her face into Abel's chest and tried to ignore the way that he was laughing at her. 'At least knowing one of the two would be nice. I guess it'd be too much to ask to have Inuyasha go steal an ultrasound machine.' She sighed upon realizing that would be pointless unless he stole a generator to go along with it and then she could just imagine them trying to figure out how to use it. 'I can't win.'

“If it's any consolation, I don't think we'll have to wait long to find out,” Abel replied gently and patted her shoulder. The only thing that he could hope for now was that Kagome would get a lot stronger in a short amount of time, or there was a good chance that he would be raising the child alone.

“What is your time frame?” Tres asked quietly, immediately picking up on the dangers of what Father Nightroad had just said. The worry resonating through the bond was unmistakable and he needed to know the realities of what they were up against.

The question had Father Nightroad frowning, “No more than two or three weeks, I'd say. From all appearances, the child is nearly to term. However my close proximity seems to have quieted the child considerably. If we can keep her comfortable and the activity to a minimum, it might buy us a few extra days. However, in that time you need to eat, Kagome. I'm afraid that broth just won't be enough to regain your strength.

The news had Kagome swallowing hard against the bile that rose in her throat. The thought of food was revolting, but she knew that he was right. One way or another, she was going to have to try harder. “I understand. I can't promise it'll stay down, but I'll try.”

Father Nightroad frowned because he knew that Kagome was already doing the best that she could. He only hoped that with the child calmed now, it would allow her body to settle and begin to recover. “That's all I can ask for. You should sleep for now.” When she looked at him uneasily, he pulled her closer in reassurance.

“Don't worry,” he whispered softly, urging her to relax in his arms, “I'll still be here when you awaken. I promise.”

End of Chapter Twenty two