InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Miko's Instincts ❯ A Miko's Instincts Chapter 25 ( Chapter 25 )

A Miko's Instincts Chapter 25

By Majicman

 

 

Disclaimer: No, I certainly do not own any of the characters in InuYasha. I do enjoy playing with `em, though.

 

 

“Ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku!” laughed Naraku. So the great Kikyo was dead. The evil hanyou had watched, fascinated, as first the undead miko's eyes glazed over…then the rest of her. All in all, the former clay pot now looked like a rather erotic piece of raku pottery.

 

Naraku continued to watch as the disembodied head and shoulders of InuYasha's wench appeared within the shield stone's bubble. The miko gave her predecessor a sort of wistful smile, said “one hundred,” then backed out again. A few seconds later InuYasha's head and shoulders appeared and the fool of a hanyou perused Kikyo's stiff form. At first he showed anger and the shield stone transmitted his murmur of “you'll die for all you've done to her, Naraku.” The hanyou then looked the nude form of Kikyo up and down. “At least she looks like she went out happy,” he said. Then there was a look of surprise on his face as he was jerked back out of the bubble.

 

Naraku sat back, contemplating his next move. He knew InuYasha's mate was about seven months now. His Saimyoushou had dutifully shown him the miko as first she started to show, then gradually progressed to the point that her increasing girth interfered with her balance. Naraku smiled. The hanyou and his mate were already so wrapped up in her pregnancy that he hardly needed to dream up any more distractions.

 

“Soon, foolish girl, I will add your powers to my own.”

 

Naraku was on the point of ordering one of his Saimyoushou to follow the couple when he noticed something else entering the protective bubble of the shield stone.

 

“That's that toady of Sesshomaru's, isn't it?” he thought. “What does he want?”

 

Naraku watched as Jaken first circled the lifeless statue of Kikyo, then approached it, disrobing. “What is he doing?” thought Naraku.

“He's not really going to…” Then, “He is.” Then later, “Again?”

 

Naraku was both amused and appalled. He watched the spectacle the way a child watches sex…sometimes covering his eyes at the “gross” parts.

 

And so Naraku missed it when a mist came out of the Kikyo statue's mouth, passed rapidly through the shield stone's barrier, and formed a purple pulsing sphere. The sphere moved slowly in a circle, then took off in the direction of InuYasha and Kagome and the village.

 

Inside the statue, the duck demon's egg had hatched and the shard that was inside was no longer there.

 

 

 

Back in the village, InuYasha and Kagome, Sango and Miroku and Kaede had gathered for lunch and to discuss strategy.

 

“It is evident to me, as it should be to you, InuYasha,” said Miroku, “that we cannot continue much longer to take Kagome and Sango on our shard hunts.” The monk held his wife's hand in his. “Even if we have Kirara to carry my Sango and your Kagome, it is much too dangerous for them and our unborn children.”

 

“Feh! Don't you think I know that?” answered InuYasha.

 

“I don't know about you, Kagome,” said Sango, “but I feel safer near Miroku.”

 

Kagome smiled. “I never thought I'd hear that.”

 

“I am so misunderstood,” said a smiling Miroku.

 

“Well, personally,” said Kagome, “I feel much safer with InuYasha. And besides, even if I have to stay out of battles, I can still sense the shards and…” Kagome sat bolt upright. “Shard!”

 

“What?” exclaimed InuYasha.

 

“There's a shard rapidly coming our way, InuYasha.” Kagome pointed up the path that led to the well. “From there!”

 

Both InuYasha and Miroku sprang up and interposed themselves between the girls and the oncoming jewel shard. Finally, a purple pulsing sphere appeared over a small hill and drifted towards them, stopping just a few feet away.

 

“That thing has a shard in it?” asked InuYasha as he drew his Tetsusaiga.

 

Kagome nodded.

 

“Kaze no…”

 

“Wait!” shouted Kagome.

 

“What?” said InuYasha, lowering Tetsusaiga.

 

Kagome stared at the sphere. “I…I think that's the rest of my soul that Kikyo had.”

 

“I think she's right, InuYasha,” said Kaede. “It is trying to return.”

 

“I'm not letting that back into me,” said Kagome.

 

Kaede's eyes widened. “I know what it is, child. It is the part of your soul my sister, Kikyo, held…corrupted by her malice. Ye must purify it before it can reenter.”

 

Kagome nodded to Kaede. “I understand.” Kagome approached the glowing sphere warily. “Please stand clear,” she asked the boys.

 

“Are you sure about this?” asked InuYasha.

 

Kagome nodded to InuYasha, then turned back to the sphere. She could feel the waves of anger and frustration trapped within it, turning the jewel shard inside a darker purple. “Naraku would love to have this one,” she thought.

 

She cleared her mind, reached out for the sphere and held it in her hands. A feeling of immense cold penetrated her hands and started up her arms. Instinctively, she knew the cold was searching for her heart. She probed the cold and smiled. No, it wasn't Kikyo. The cold was merely the remnant of Kikyo's malice that somehow continued in this world.

 

The cold reached Kagome's heart and attempted to enter, but the miko's heart was too warm.

 

Kagome smiled. The first attempt had failed.

 

The sphere glowed with increased malice and the cold that had first probed Kagome's heart now surrounded it entirely. It attacked her heart from all sides and Kagome had to concentrate a little to repel it.

 

The second attempt failed.

 

Now the sphere glowed with a fearsome energy and Kagome's heart was sorely pressed. All the malice left in the sphere had flowed into Kagome and even the shard that was in it had reappeared inside the miko, adding its own stored malevolence to the assault.

 

Kagome strained with the effort of keeping her heart pure and warm.

 

InuYasha looked at his mate with worry. She seemed weakened and about to fall, so he sprang forward to hold her in his arms. “Is there anything I can do for you?” he pleaded.

 

“I…I think I need a kiss.”

 

“Feh! Is that all?” said InuYasha as he took his mate in his arms.

 

Kagome felt her mate's lips graze hers, then settle in place. She felt her lover deepen the kiss, asking for entrance, willingly granted. The sphere she had been holding was gone, so she wrapped her arms around InuYasha's neck and reveled in the delight he was giving her.

 

The third and final attempt failed miserably.

 

Kagome's soul was now whole. The jewel shard was inside her and, not only that, it was completely purified. There was really no point in continuing the kiss, except…

 

Shippo returned from his playtime with Kirara. “Ewwww! We helped you build a hut for that. Would you two use it?”

 

 

 

Naraku stared at Kanna's mirror. One moment It had been showing him the confrontation between Kagome and that sphere, the next moment he had gotten the impression that all his Saimyoushou in that area had been purified. The mirror was blank.

 

Naraku frowned. He ordered the mirror to show him what was in the bubble with the shield stone. There was Jaken getting dressed. At least the mirror still worked. He ordered more of his Saimyoushou to spy on the Inu gang and, after a few minutes, looked back to see what Sesshomaru's retainer was doing.

 

The little imp had left, returned with Ah-Un, and was now hauling the ceramic Kikyo to a nearby cave. Naraku chuckled. Ironically, it was the same cave where Onigumo had been cared for by Kikyo over fifty years earlier.

 

Naraku turned back to plotting against InuYasha and Kagome. He was a little worried about that burst of purifying energy that had destroyed his Saimyoushou. The miko must have her whole soul again, and that wasn't good, but he was Naraku...and soon he would rule all…including the miko.

 

 

 

“How do you feel, Kagome?” asked Sango.

 

“I don't know,” answered Kagome. “I should feel tired, but I don't. In fact, I feel better than I have for a couple of years.”

 

“You're whole again,” said Kaede. “But what happened to the jewel shard that was in the sphere?”

 

“It's…It's in me.” Kagome pointed to her side, above her hip. “Right there. I can feel it.”

 

“Then ye must be careful, child, for Naraku will stop at nothing to get it back for his own, evil purposes.”

 

“I understand.”

 

“And I must agree with Shippo.”

 

“Huh?” Kagome finally noticed that although InuYasha had stopped kissing her, he hadn't stopped nuzzling her neck. In fact, he had just reached the point where he had marked her. “Um-hmmmmm.” She felt her knees get weak.

 

Kaede smiled. “Ye should…what is the expression...get a room.”

 

 

 

Morning, and time to get up, thought Kagome. It had been weeks since she had been reunited with the part of her soul that Kikyo had and, although she felt better overall, her advanced pregnancy was becoming burdensome…especially since she was carrying triplets.

 

Both InuYasha and Miroku had decided that the trail was no place for their mates now. Although this bothered Kagome, she understood InuYasha's reasoning and, frankly, she didn't want anything to happen to their pups either. Kagome chuckled to herself. If it had troubled her to stay behind, that was nothing to how Sango had responded. Miroku had a new set of bumps and he hadn't touched Sango's butt in a perverted way in months!

 

So InuYasha and Miroku contented themselves with handling youkai problems in nearby villages and only looked for shards if they heard a rumor of one very nearby.

 

She looked outside of hers and InuYasha's hut to Sango and Miroku's home. The monk was sitting in front, contemplating his Kazaana. Kagome knew that the hole in Miroku's hand had been expanding at a faster rate and that he was worried that he might not be there for the birth of his child, but it couldn't be helped. Sango couldn't go on shard hunts now.

 

Kagome sighed as InuYasha returned with the water she needed to make breakfast.

 

“Anything wrong?”

 

“I'm worried about Miroku.”

 

“Keh! We'll get Naraku in time.”

 

“I hope you're right,” Kagome answered. “InuYasha, I need to see Mama.”

 

“Of course. We're not doing any shard hunting anyway,” answered InuYasha, “so I'll be close by when you get back.”

 

“No, InuYasha. I need you to come with me.”

 

“Feh. Okay.”

 

 

 

InuYasha and Kagome jumped into the well together and the gentle floating sensation of the time slip took both of them. Once again red, blue and green spheres of light exited Kagome's belly and hovered near the feudal era end of the time slip.

 

Kagome and InuYasha paused for a moment to reassure their pups that they would be back for them soon, then continued on to the modern era.

 

Exiting the well house, InuYasha and the now-unpregnant Kagome made their way to Kagome's house, where they found Mama Higurashi making lunch.

 

“Hi, Mama! I'm home…and InuYasha's with me!”

 

Mama rushed out and gave Kagome, then InuYasha, big hugs. “I hope you're staying. Souta decided this would be `American Day' so we're having baked beans and hot dogs.”

 

“Hot dogs?” thought InuYasha.

 

Kagome looked at InuYasha and laughed. “Nobody's eating dogs, InuYasha. It's just an expression.” Kagome turned to her mother. “Thank you, Mama. I'll have two.”

 

 

 

After lunch, which came with a host of questions from Souta and even a few from Kagome's grandfather; Kagome, InuYasha and Mama Higurashi sat in the living room.

 

“Mama?” said Kagome to her mother.

 

“Yes, dear.”

 

“I'm only about six weeks away now, and I thought you might be able to give InuYasha some advice about what to do during delivery.”

 

Mama Higurashi frowned. “InuYasha isn't doing the delivery, is he?”

 

“No, no, Mama,” answered Kagome. “Kaede and a midwife will be doing that. They're really good at it, Mama, but I want InuYasha in there with me and he should know what to expect.”

 

“Oh dear,” said Mama. She turned to InuYasha. “I suppose Kagome's right, but I have a few things to warn you about.”

 

InuYasha gulped. He had seen animals giving birth in the forest, and he had even been around when a few ningen women had given birth, although not in the same room. But it wasn't the same thing.

 

“The main thing I need to warn you about, InuYasha, is that women in our family are unusually passionate…”

 

“I'll say,” spouted InuYasha.

 

“InuYasha!” exclaimed a blushing Kagome.

 

Mama Higurashi smiled and continued. “And this extends to how we are about delivering babies.”

 

“You mean…pups?” asked InuYasha.

 

Mama giggled. “Yes, pups. If you intend to be by Kagome's side during delivery, you must be at all times supportive.”

 

“Supportive?”

 

“Yes, supportive. That means you must not say anything negative. You must help her to breathe properly, encourage her to push when she needs to push, praise her every step of the way.”

 

“Feh. Weak humans.”

 

Mama Higurashi whacked InuYasha over the head with a rolled up magazine. “And never call her a `weak human!'”

 

“Owwww. I get the point!”

 

Kagome giggled.

 

Mama continued. “During childbirth, Kagome will do anything to take her mind off the pain. She may call you names, she may dig her nails into you…”

 

Kagome piped up, “Maybe I'll even purify your…”

 

“Feh! You wouldn't!”

 

Kagome giggled again. “Don't be so sure.”

 

Kagome turned to her mother. “Mama, a couple of weeks ago, I started noticing wet spots on the insides of my shirts and kimonos.”

 

“Is it yellowish?” asked Mama.

 

“Yes.”

 

“That just means you're getting ready to breastfeed. It's normal.”

 

“My ribs are getting sore, my pelvis is getting sore, and my belly button looks funny.”

 

“Normal, normal and normal.”

 

“I can see why Kaede said a lot of women would envy me. Coming to visit you and being unpregnant for a while is sheer heaven.” Kagome blushed. “And thanks for the…” Kagome was blushing furiously.

 

“Don't say another word, dear. There are more in your night stand, if you need them.”

 

“Thank you, mama, but we told the pups we'd be back soon.”

 

“They'll still be there.”

 

“What will still be there?” asked InuYasha.

 

“He's clueless sometimes, isn't he?” said Mama.

 

“That's part of his charm, Mama,” answered Kagome.

 

Both mother and daughter giggled.

 

“What's so funny?”

 

 

 

Back in the feudal era, Naraku was putting the finishing touches on his plot. “It worked before,” he thought. “Take their own insecurity and use it against them.” Naraku looked in the mirror at an almost exact replica of InuYasha.

 

All I have to do is get InuYasha out of the way and use this disguise to convince the wench he doesn't want her anymore.

 

“And what better time than during labor? Ku-ku-ku-ku-ku!”

 

 

 

A/N: In case you're wondering, Kagome is about thirty-four weeks, with Sango at thirty-three.

 

Embarrassingly enough, I've reread the Mediaminer rules for posting stories and, apparently, interactive stories (asking the readers for input) is one of the no-no's…although I don't think they'd mind about something like soliciting name suggestions. Consequently, I'll make the decision myself without asking people to vote. Again, there are two boys and one girl and I will continue to accept suggestions until the chapter Kagome delivers. Remember, I need three Japanese names with their English translations.

 

I will take more suggestions for a name for Miroku and Sango's baby till Sango's ready to deliver. I'm going to reserve the choice of names for Sesshomaru's and Kagura's baby to myself.

 

In case you're wondering, I'm planning two more chapters and an epilogue. The next chapter (Chapter 26) will be the last before Kagome delivers (Chapter 27), so get your name suggestions in now.

 

Again, many thanks for all reviews…and I look forward to your future comments.