InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hagakure ❯ Blue and Gold ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha or any of its characters. I simply abuse them for my own twisted means of amusement.

- - - - - -

Blue and Gold

Shiro stumbled his way in the direction of the hot springs. For a second, he thought he scented Hagakure; soon it was dismissed as just the passing breeze toying with his- at the moment- fragile mentality.

"She wouldn't be out here…" Shiro assured himself; he wasn't very convincing.

He looked up at the sky. A shooting star was making its way past in the moonless sky.

For my mate…be safe…

- - - -

They had been searching the forest surrounding the hot springs for a good four hours with no luck what so ever.

Kagome held Hakaki who had just recently stopped crying; he had fallen asleep sniffling. It was quite late- surely almost morning by now- and it had been a wonder he hadn't dozed off sooner like Shippo.

"I need to take a break." Kagome yawned.

Inu-Yasha growled but got a glare that just reeked of obey-me-or-die from Kagome. He nodded sharply and everybody sighed.

"Hey," Sango gasped as she was sitting down, "look over there!"

"What is it?" everybody asked looking over to Sango.

"An indent in the grass…" Sango explained taking a step towards it. "It looks like somebody was laying down here."

Kirara went up to the spot in the glistening grass. She sniffed it then returned to her mistress's side.

"What is it, Kirara?" Sango asked her pet.

Kirara mewed and tried to make the group understand as best she could. After about five minutes of listening to her kitty-level explaining, Miroku groaned.

"This is going nowhere fast."

"Its better than running around in circles!" Inu-Yasha barked.

- - - -

Hagakure giggled and playfully batted Misoka's nose. Her daughter had woken up and yanked her mother's hair.

"Misoka, you're such a bad little girl already." Hagakure said playfully.

Nozomu woke and looked up at his mother. He blinked at her. Hagakure put her finger on his lips. He nipped her and she gasped slightly but then smiled when he licked her finger.

"You two are going to be trouble."

Kouga watched with interest as Hagakure interacted with her new pups. For a first time mother, she knew what to do amazingly well.

"Quit staring, Kouga." Shinta said playfully as she nudged him. "You trying to catch her feeding them or something?"

"WHAT?! NO! I'm just amazed." Kouga defended himself to the older wolf, tearing his eyes away to look at Shinta. "How does she know what to do?"

"Instinct mostly," Shinta explained casually. "You haven't seen very many new mothers have you?"

"Not really." Kouga confessed.

Shinta patted him on the back.

"You're doing well then. You didn't faint when she passed the after birth."

"After birth?" Kouga asked with a confused expression.

Shinta pointed to a bloody, jellylike pile in the corner of the cave. Kouga looked over, saw it, and his eyes rolled up into his head as he collapsed to the ground. Shinta watched with an amused expression.

"Was is something I said?" she asked innocently.

- - - -

Kagome was roughly jostled awake by Inu-Yasha. Evidentially, the sun was now up and he was eager to be on his way because of his returned powers.

"I can scent her," he stated as Kagome was hauled onto his back. "She's with…Kouga and his pack."

Kagome nodded her head at the familiar name. Kouga…the wolf prince…

Kagome sighed with relief. She knew Kouga; he'd scent her on Hagakure, guess that they were friends (or acquaintances at least), and take very good care of her to get on Kagome's good side. Indeed, Hagakure was in the best of care. Why she was with him at all, however, was a question that Kagome hoped to have answered soon.

Hakaki looked around wide-eyed. He took in the scent of wolves for the first time and nearly hit himself; it was everywhere! How could he have missed it?! His mother was probably in danger and he was stupid enough to miss such an obvious scent! Then again, he was pretty exhausted and depressed last night with the thought of losing his foster mother becoming more deeply lodged in his mind.

"Let's get going." Sango said as Kirara transformed to allow her mistress a nice ride.

Inu-Yasha nodded and took off at break-neck speed with Kagome hanging on for dear life with Shippo firmly tucked between them. Behind them were Sango, Miroku, and Hakaki riding on Kirara.

Inu-Yasha and the others came to a sudden stop when an all-too-familiar wolf demon appeared in front of him. At his side was Hagakure who had two small bundles with her.

"How you doin, dog turd?" Kouga greeted with arrogance.

Inu-Yasha growled at the demon but, for the most part, ignored his comment in favor of his companion.

Hakaki sprung up from Kirara's back and flung himself at Hagakure.

"Momma!" he said excitedly at her feet.

Hagakure knelt down to come face to face with him.

"This is Nozomu and Misoka," she stated pointing to each in turn. "Your new brother and sister."

"OHMIGAWD!" both Sango and Kagome exclaimed rushing up to Hagakure, oblivious or not caring that Kouga was standing in such close proximity. "They're sooo adorable!"

Inu-Yasha watched with curiosity that mirrored Hakaki and Shippo's as Hagakure showed off the two pups; Miroku raised his eyebrows, walked over, and watched. Kouga looked on as well, his rival having been forgotten for the moment. It was utterly amazing to see the girls doting over the new pups.

"They're so cute!" Kagome exclaimed quietly as Hagakure let her hold Misoka.

The little dog demoness stared at Kagome, her icy clear blue eyes wide and curious. She reached up a tiny, slightly clawed hand and grabbed the finger that was offered her. Kagome blabbered something in baby talk that made the little Misoka giggle and coo.

Sango held Nozomu. He stared at her with those wide golden eyes that only a newborn could posses. She traced the silky soft baby fur on his ear and he giggled and swayed his arms around with delight.

Miroku watched Sango interact with Nozomu. She looked so intent and in touch with everything he wanted. Miroku sighed; Sango would be a great mother to, hopefully, his children.

He wasn't very open with his feelings to others but he was always open with himself; he knew some part of him had always wanted Sango by his side forever. One wouldn't think it by the way he always groped her whenever they were caught in an intimate situation but, the truth was, he groped to keep her safe. He didn't want her to get too close to him, only to hurt her by eventually being torn away by that dreaded curse of Naraku's. Not only that, he wanted to keep her physically safe. His own mother had died in childbirth having him, cursed as he was; Miroku didn't want that for Sango. He didn't want that for any woman.

Besides, he wanted to be involved with his children as they grew up. He wanted them to have a real childhood with a father and mother; something he did without. If he didn't kill Naraku in time, he would have rather have his family line end than to leave a child alone in the world.

After Naraku was dead and he was guaranteed to be in the life of her and his future children… Then, and only then, he would seriously ask Sango to stay with him forever as his wife and to bear his children.

Shippo and Hakaki were on Hagakure's shoulders looking down at the pups.

"They're so little…" Shippo commented.

Hakaki nodded in agreement.

"You were that little once too." Hagakure told them pointedly.

"Nuh-uh!" Shippo said shaking his head vehemently. "I've always been big and strong!"

Hagakure laughed quietly and patted both kits on the head.

Inu-Yasha, tired of hearing how cute the pups were, ambled over to see them for himself. He had to admit…they were rather cute. Shiro had sired a good lot.

Nozomu must have looked like his father; the only resemblance Inu-Yasha could see between him and Hagakure were their large topaz-gold eyes. He giggled in delight when somebody rubbed his ears but nipped them if he got half the chance. Misoka was a spitting image of her mother- if one didn't count her ice blue eyes and lack of a tail. She giggled and blew spit bubbles at Kagome and everybody else that looked at her.

Seeing Kagome holding the newborn in her arms stirred some mixed emotions from within Inu-Yasha. She would probably become a great mother. She cared for Shippo like he was her own, taking on all the necessary responsibilities of a mother, so, in essence, she already was one.

The only question in Inu-Yasha's mind, however, was who would be the father of her children. Surely she wouldn't pick him, a lowly half-breed bastard. Somehow that tore at his heart, thinking that she wouldn't accept him; nobody ever had. Then again, she had once said she didn't care what he was; had she really meant it though?

He remembered feeling like this group of misfits was truly his family before, but could that dream ever become reality?

It didn't really manner one way or the other though, being as she was from a completely different time period then he. She had often told all of them all too often that, while a girl her age here could already be married with children, in her time she was still quite young and only at the 'dating' (whatever that was) stage. The bottom line was that it was unacceptable for Kagome to even think about marrying yet.

- - - -

Shiro woke up from his face down position in the dirt; he never made it to the hot springs during the night. Instead, he found himself dangerously near to the wolves' den; the same wolves that he had driven out of his territory a few months back.

"Shit…" he growled as he struggled to sit up.

He was still in so much pain from his skirmish with Naraku. That stupid bastard thought he could break Shiro's spirit by hurting his body, but he was far from the truth. As long as he had the hope of finding his mate and, hopefully, his pup, he would always win out.

Shiro blinked his eyes tightly a few times to push away the blurriness that had come along with losing so much of his blood. He looked down on his tattered, ripped, and utterly destroyed clothes. They were covered in blood and mud; a few places were non-existent now.

He pushed himself up into a wavering standing position. He was angry at how weak he was; never before had he been so thoroughly whipped and still showing it after three days.

"Damn…Naraku…" Shiro growled as he took a few tentative steps towards a break in the trees.

Shiro stopped suddenly. There was a group of demons and humans standing in the clearing. There was a silver-haired hanyou, a monk, a demon slayer, a wolf, a woman dressed in strangest garb, and two kitsune kits- one of which he knew. The one he was really focused on however was the young dog demoness with two bundles securely in her arms.

"Hagakure…"

- - - -

Hagakure took her pups gently back from Kagome and Sango and held them protectively as Kouga and Inu-Yasha began growling at each other. Kagome sighed and shook her head as she took a place next to Sango and Miroku. Hagakure soon joined them to watch in disgust as the two began bickering.

"This happen much?" Hagakure asked with raised eyebrows.

"Sadly, yes." Miroku informed while nodding.

Shippo sighed. "I act better than they do…"

"Hagakure…"

Hagakure's head spun instantly towards the woods at the familiar voice. Inu-Yasha and Kouga stopped fighting to see what was causing the commotion. The others looked over as well.

Hagakure caught some movement in her eye from behind a tree. She handed her pups to Inu-Yasha who took them with a somewhat freaked out expression on his face. When he began fumbling around, Kouga and Miroku- they were closest- grabbed the twins out of his hands and held them protectively.

Hagakure cautiously meandered to the woods.

"Shiro…?" she asked quietly.

"Kure…?" the beaten up Shiro asked as he stepped from behind the tree.

Hagakure looked at her thoroughly beaten up mate. His long silver hair was matted with mud and blood; his ears were crusted in dried blood as well. Shiro's face was beaten, bruised, and bloodied; his left eye was nearly swollen shut. His clothes were tattered to ruins and he looked incredibly weak.

"Gods…Shiro…" Hagakure sniffled as she stepped closer. "I was starting to think you weren't…weren't coming back…"

"Kure…" Shiro soothed as he tried to walk towards her. "I'd never leave you…."

Shiro bumbled a few steps before he tripped. Hagakure knelt down in time to catch his face before it hit the ground.

"Shiro…" she sobbed while running her hands through his blood matted hair.

Shiro put his hand on her stomach gently.

"Did you…lose it?" he asked quietly.

"'Lose it'?" Hagakure questioned. "What do you mean, Shiro…?"

"The pup…" Shiro said quietly. "Did you lose the pup? You're not pregnant anymore…"

Hagakure smiled.

"You worry too much, love. My dear friends are holding them," she said motioning over to the group.

"…'Them'…?"

Shiro looked over to where Kouga and Miroku stood holding two bundles. Sango and Kagome smiled gently.

"You have a son and a daughter." Kagome said through her smile.

"Nozomu and Misoka." Sango informed with a nod.

Kouga and Miroku lowered the twins slightly so that Shiro could see.

Shiro sighed and lowered his head.

"I love you so much…" he said quietly into Hagakure's robes.

- - - -

Hagakure and Shiro had gone to the springs to bathe; everybody else was assigned to watch the pups and not to fight.

"This is stupid…" Inu-Yasha growled to Kagome as he held Misoka.

"Inu-Yasha…" Kagome sighed.

Misoka blew raspberries and reached her hand up.

"What do you want?" Inu-Yasha asked her, slightly annoyed.

By way of response, Misoka grabbed a lock of Inu-Yasha's hair and yanked it down.

"OUCH!" Inu-Yasha shouted.

Kagome giggled.

"Having trouble, Inu-Yasha?" Kouga asked with a smirk. He'd come up to stand next to Kagome.

"No," Inu-Yasha growled as he detached the pup from his hair. Misoka pouted.

Miroku ignored the argument that was bound to start in favor of Nozomu, which he held in his arms, and Hakaki and Shippo who were sitting in front of him. The children were receiving a love lesson from Miroku, the perverted monk. (How fitting is that?)

"…And then, as charming and polite as you can possibly be, you ask them." Miroku instructed.

Nozomu looked intently in Miroku's eyes like he was deeply entranced in thought. Shippo sighed in disgust and Hakaki raised his eyebrows.

"Understand…?" Miroku asked.

Nozomu conjured what seemed to be a nod; though, for a pup so young, it could have just been the way Miroku was holding him.

Sango watched Miroku talking to the pup and kits. While she didn't quite approve of the subject of the conversation, she was highly interested in the way Miroku was talking to them. His eyes lit up as he told the children how to woo a woman; he spoke with passion and light bouncy tones to keep their interest. Miroku definitely knew how to handle a child.

Sango found herself visualizing how Miroku would act with his own children.

He would probably make a great father…she mused to herself, conjuring mental images of him holding a newborn son or daughter. He always has had a way with Shippo.

Sango sighed. It was just too bad that Miroku was always looking around. The stupid pervert considered every pretty girl to be his for the taking.

He never even once asked me to bear his child…Sango thought unhappily. Not that I would have said yes, but still! It's the principle of the matter! He said he only asks pretty girls…so…does that mean I'm not pretty…? Stupid lecher…

- - - -

Hagakure entered the water of the hot spring slowly with her mate. He was so badly bloodied up that you could hardly run your fingers an inch through his hair without finding a bloody mat.

"Shiro," Hagakure said quietly as she led him into the water, "what happened?"

"I shall tell you later," Shiro responded weakly but finally.

Hagakure nodded her understanding and walked further into the water with Shiro following closely at her side. She stopped and sat, expecting him to do the same so she could bathe him; he obliged.

Hagakure ran her hands through Shiro's now wet hair and untangled it along the way. She continued her attention until the mats of dried blood were scrubbed out and all that was left was shining silver; the only darkness in hair color was the black tips of his ears. During this time, both were surprisingly silent.

Shiro was content to simply take in his mate's presence. He had spent so long without her, that knowing she was so near calmed his nerves. Knowing he had sired two healthy pups put his mind nearly all the way at ease. One thing continued to nag at him though.

Naraku…

Shiro would get revenge for what that bastard had done to him and what he had threatened to do to his mate.

He was slightly jarred from his thoughts when Hagakure shifted to the front of him and began to wash his chest and face with her tail. He couldn't help but ogle her features as she moved.

Hagakure saw his reactions and giggled.

"Now Shiro…" she scolded playfully as her mate leaned forward and nipped at her shoulder.

"I know, Kure…" Shiro sighed in disappointment. "Not now…"

Not ever…he mentally groaned. His mate knew damn well what she was doing to him, but she didn't really care.

"Seductress and tormentor." Shiro accused through a sigh.

Hagakure giggled.

"If you want to look at it that way, love."

- - - -

"Sango…?" Shippo asked, abandoning Miroku's lesson, "Do you think maybe you should help Kagome?"

Sango looked over at where Kagome was, frantically trying to keep Kouga and Inu-Yasha from killing each other; especially with Misoka still protectively tucked away in Inu-Yasha's haori. Misoka looked like she was having a blast though; she even flung a baby claw and bit at Kouga when he got close enough for her to strike.

"Now this is a kid I like!" Inu-Yasha shouted with a gigantic smile on his face. "I want my kids to be exactly like this!"

Inu-Yasha would have blushed if he had realized what he'd just said out loud. Fortunately for Inu-Yasha, Kouga wasn't paying much attention and he was laughing to hard at the wolf's plight to notice anyway.

Kouga looked at the scratch and bite marks Misoka had given him. They weren't life threatening or even drawing blood, but it was the principle of the matter; he was the wolf prince and a mere pup- a female one no less- had marred him!

"The girl BIT me!" Kouga shouted in exasperation.

"Like I said," Inu-Yasha laughed, repositioning Misoka, "I like this kid."

Misoka then showed her appreciation of being liked by the hanyou by throwing up all down the front of his haori.

"GROSS!" Inu-Yasha shouted, nearly dropping the child. Kouga dropped to the ground laughing. Kagome quickly swooped in and grabbed Misoka.

"Inu-Yasha, you can wash it out in the river, for crying out loud!" Kagome shouted at him.

Inu-Yasha stripped off his red haori as quickly as possible.

Miroku was laughing nearly as hard as Kouga; he, like Inu-Yasha, got repaid with an infant spitting up on his robes. He didn't freak out nearly as much though.

"Sango, please come take the child. I need to go wash this," he said pointing to the spit up, "off."

Sango did as she was asked and sighed. Miroku disappeared with a grumbling Inu-Yasha along side him.

"Don't you dare touch Kagome, you stupid wolf!" Inu-Yasha called over his shoulder.

Hakaki sighed along with everybody else (excluding Kouga who was still laughing his ass off). Things with this group were almost as interesting as they were at home.

Home…

- - - -

[A/N:] for those of you who I know are a bit angry with me for calling Inu a bastard, know this: that is a term used for someone who doesn't know their father or was born as the result of an affair. Inu never really knew his father; he even said so himself! No real insult was there, so NYEH!

Next Chapter: Homecoming

"A fine question indeed!" Miroku announced, looking very excited to be giving a follow-up lesson to the kits.

"You shut up!" Sango shouted at Miroku; the threat of the Hiriakotsu loomed in the air.

"I just wished to enlighten the children further on the- " Miroku started.

"You shouldn't be enlightening ANYONE; especially children, Miroku!" Sango shouted at him.

"But I- "

"NO!" both Sango and Kagome shouted finally.

Miroku pouted.