InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Miracle ❯ Chapter 6

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

Hello everyone!  I've been so busy with school this semester that I have had almost NO time to write for pleasure.  Trust me, client reports in English are bad enough. Add several film, one album and a book review in Portuguese and it's a bit much. I finally had some time this weekend and realized I'd written a chapter without meaning to.  Funny how that happens!  I know it's been a long wait, so I hope you enjoy.  Thanks you guys!



On the other side of the village, Inuyasha was shaking his head in aggravation.  “Look Koga, we're not gonna let you anywhere near her.”

“You can't stop me from seeing my woman!” he snarled again, further encouraging the twitch in Inuyasha's eye.  “What have you done to her, mutt?  Why won't she come see me?  Did you tie her up?”  He tried to look around the two silver-haired males blocking his path.  “Kagome!  Kagome, I came to see you,” he called.

“Wolf, desist in this infantile behavior.”

“Who asked you, dog-breath?” Koga sneered.  Both Inuyasha and Koga flinched slightly at the sharp rise in Sesshomaru's youki.  “What are you doing here anyway?  I thought you hated the half-breed mutt as much as I do.”  He eyed Inuyasha this time.  “Letting your big brother fight your battles for you, huh? Pathetic.”  This time it was only Koga who flinched when Inuyasha's youki rose as well.

The inuhanyou scoffed, shifting his weight into a more casual stance.  He had no fear when it came to fighting the wolf, never had, but now that the flea bag didn't have shards, he knew there was no comparison.  “He came by to ask about the jewel, same as you.”

“Indeed.”  Sesshomaru glanced briefly at Inuyasha before speaking again.  “As well as to bring gifts for my new nephews.”  Inuyasha's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, but the change in his scent was evident to both youkai.  Surprised, Inuyasha tried to school his face back into nonchalance.  The wolf choked, a wild look suddenly appearing in his eyes.  “You were not aware that my sister-in-law had twin pups,” he stated with a slightly evil edge in his eyes.  The wild look in Koga's became almost feral in response.

“Sister-in-law?  Did you find another wench?”  Both brothers raised an eyebrow at such a ridiculous idea.  “Kagome?  Twins?  Kagome had cubs?  Impossible!” the ookami youkai sputtered furiously.  He bared his teeth at Inuyasha.  “Impossible.  I saw her less than six months ago and she was still unclaimed.  There's no way.”

“Well it's true, Koga-kun.”  All three males turned their heads at once, gaping openly at the young miko approaching them with one infant in the sling against her chest and the other held securely in her arms.  “Here they are.  My sons.  Inuyasha's sons.  Our pups.”

“Kagome!”

“It's alright Inuyasha.”  She tossed him a steely eyed look that told him she had a plan.  Koga took a few steps toward her, freezing upon seeing a dark-haired, dark-eared hanyou infant in his Kagome's arms.  Another dark head with silver ears peeked from under the sling.  “What do you want Koga-kun?  The jewel is gone.  There are no shards left.”

“Those can't be your cubs, Kagome.  They... they can't be.”  Her face, which had remained open and pleasant, darkened.  Koga knew that look.  He usually saw it directed at the mutt when he had said or done something thoughtless.  “But there hasn't been enough time.  You're... you're untouched,” he murmured when his nose took her in more thoroughly.  “How can the pups be yours when you haven't been claimed?” he called, taking a few steps closer to her.  Both silver-haired males stepped toward him to block him off, a growl vibrating the air between them.

“It's alright.  The closer he is the better he can smell the pups.”  Koga frowned at her easy attitude.  Usually Kagome was uncomfortable with him around Inuyasha because she didn't want to hurt the mutt's feelings by showing him affection.  Now she was calm, confident, a completely different Kagome than Koga was used to seeing and she made no move to come closer to him now that she was in scent range.  Even Inuyasha seemed different, aside from being buddy buddy with his brother.  He was reacting to Koga like he was an annoyance, not a threat.  “Go on Koga-kun, what do you smell?”

Inuyasha watched his wife out of the corner of his eye, trying to figure out her plan.  She would never risk the pups like this so she had to have a set plan she knew couldn't fail if the wolf attacked.  There was something she was trying to say, a point she was trying to make.  “They smell like the mutt... and you,” he conceded reluctantly, peeking around the two inuyoukai at her and the bundles she carried.  “But it's impossible,” he stated again.  

“Obviously not impossible, they're right here.  Call it a miracle if you want to.”  Koga snarled at the word, obviously not wanting to admit fate would take “his Kagome” from him and place her in the hands of Inuyasha.  

“They're half-breeds,” he growled with a grin, clearly thinking he'd caught them in their lie.  “The mutt's a half-breed himself, they couldn't be...”

Sesshomaru made a soft noise, interrupting Koga and catching all of their attention.  “Obviously that means his youki is strong enough to father hanyou pups.”  Again Inuyasha fought to hide his surprise at his brother's words.

Koga snarled furiously, not missing the slight on the strength of his own youki.  He pressed forward, still fast despite his lack of shards.  Before Inuyasha could do anything, Kagome shouted for the wolf to stop.  “I don't want to kill you, Koga-kun!”  That caught the wolf prince's attention and he skidded to a stop just a few feet from Inuyasha and Sesshomaru.  It was then that they all noticed the very solid barrier that had risen to surround Kagome and the pups.  Inuyasha settled back with a smug grin.  That's my clever, clever Kagome.  “I will protect what is mine and that means my children, my husband and his brother if necessary.”  Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at being included in her circle of protection, but said nothing to deny the offer.

“Husband?” Koga replied weakly.  He might have been reckless, but he wasn't stupid.  He knew the barrier that she had erected was not only impervious to him, but would purify him in a heartbeat.  He didn't fancy the idea of losing a limb to her purifying energy, if it didn't kill him outright.  “So you've chosen to be with the hanyou then,” he snarled with even more than the usual bite.  “You choose to stay with a weak half-breed mutt...”

“Enough Koga,” she shouted, dropping the friendly address.  “I will not hear anyone speak of my husband or my children that way.  Keep it up and you will answer to me.”  Her dark eyes were hard and unyielding and Inuyasha swore he saw a silver glint in them.  “There was never a choice to be made.  My place has always been with Inuyasha and always will be.”  Inuyasha finally allowed his youki to flare, its energy sparking against Kagome's barrier for barely a moment.  Koga jumped back and away from the trio.  “And Inuyasha is anything but weak.”  Blue eyes wide, the wolf looked between Kagome and Inuyasha.  “I would like for us to remain allies, Koga-kun, but if you cannot be civil, then I will ask you not to return here.”

“Fine.  Throw your life away on this sorry excuse for a demon.”  His scowl turned vicious.  “And you were only good for detecting jewel shards anyway.  Now that it's gone...”  He shrugged, turning away.  He tossed a wave over his shoulder and headed out of town at approximately the speed of a tornado.

The two brothers watched him go, making sure he was truly gone before turning to the miko behind them.  Kagome had a wane smile on her face as she dropped her barrier.  She wavered where she stood and Inuyasha rushed to brace her up.  “Baka!  Using your energy just to show off to the mangy wolf.”  He held her close, careful of the pups between them.  “I can't believe you took a stupid risk like that.  It was dangerous,” he scolded fondly.  He took Toga from her arms, holding him against his chest with one arm and holding onto Kagome with the other.

“Miko, your power and control have grown considerably.  You did not injure the pups.”

Kagome tossed the taiyoukai a grin.  “Barrier starts around me, not from within me.  Plus, I was able to create a barrier safely before they were born without harming them.  I had to assume they would be fine.”  She turned her eyes back to her husband.  “The only way he would know they were real and really ours was to see and smell them for himself.”

“Clever,” Sesshomaru said, unknowingly voicing Inuyasha's thoughts from earlier.  He was surprised at Kagome's understanding of a canine youkai's dependence on scents.  Inuyasha must have explained it to her when discussing their pups and their need for their mother's scent nearby.  “Let us return to your home.”

The taiyoukai strode off eagerly in the direction of their hut.  “I think something's going on with him and Rin-chan,” Kagome breathed below a whisper.  She had to hope that her brother-in-law was far enough ahead of them that only Inuyasha had heard her.  Inuyasha looked down at her in surprise and then after his brother.  He gave a curt nod to acknowledge what she'd said, but decided not to risk voicing his opinion.  They could see as Sesshomaru approached their home that Rin was eagerly waiting for them at the door.  Of course, her eyes were only for her lord.  Inuyasha was struck suddenly with the familiarity of the look.  Kagome had given him exactly that face so many times before and he never truly realized how much she cared about him until it was almost too late.

“Damn.  She looks...”

“Don't.  You don't want her to become obsessed with it, do you?” Kagome murmured.  He glanced over at her and blinked.  Had... had Kagome thought so much about the similarities between herself and Kikyo?  Did I make her think about it so much?  Inuyasha cringed at the thought.  He knew he'd made a lot of mistakes when dealing with his past and his future staring each other in the face.  “We can't be the same,” Kagome said after a moment.  “Twin souls maybe, but not the same.”  She was looking down at Hitoshi strapped to her then over at Toga.

“Why do you say that?”

Kagome's mouth kicked up in a small smile.  “Because we can't be sisters-in-law if we're the same soul.”  Inuyasha gaped after her as she walked ahead of him until Toga let out a noise that let him know he didn't like being so far from his mother.  Inuyasha didn't like being very far from Toga's mother either.  He smiled and caught up with her, the two of them entering their hut together.  Sesshomaru had been explaining to Rin what Kagome had done when they entered, falling silent.  The taiyoukai looked up at Kagome, narrowing his eyes a moment and giving an almost imperceptible nod.  Inuyasha stared at his brother in silence.  So he'd heard.  Kagome probably intentionally said what she did, when she did, so that only the inuyoukai would hear her.  Inuyasha grunted and shook his head.  His wife was perhaps too clever.

“You were alright, Rin-chan?” she asked as she and Inuyasha returned the twins to their cradles.  The pair were unsure at first, tiny ears twitching and little noses quivering, but now that Inuyasha and Kagome felt more at ease they were able to calm down.  Kagome knew she'd have to feed them again soon, but she wasn't about to feed them in front of Rin and Sesshomaru.

“Yes, Kagome-sama.  Your home is very nice.”  Inuyasha smirked at the praise, feeling proud and rightly so.  “I could feel when you raised the barrier.  You were not in very much danger, were you?”  Kagome smiled and shook off the girl's concern.  “That is good.  Not that Sesshomaru-sama would have let Koga-san get too close.”  Kagome bit her lip to hold in a smile at Rin's easy praise and confidence in the stoic taiyoukai.  Was I ever that eager and in love?  Certainly not when I was that young...  But as she thought about it, Rin was only a year younger than she herself had been when she came through the well.  She could recall enough moments when she had blindly followed Inuyasha without a doubt in her mind that he would protect her.  And that was ages before she realized she loved him.  Glancing at her hanyou, she noticed a slightly perturbed look on his face, as though confused by Rin's manner with his brother.  I'll explain it to him later.  Surely he didn't think she was the only one in all of time other than his mother who could see past the lines drawn between youkai and ningen?

“It would appear you have visitors.”

“Kagome-chan, what...”  Sango paused, breathless, in the doorway, Miroku less than a step behind her and Shippo hurrying up behind him.  “Sesshomaru,” she gasped, finishing uncertainly with, “Sama...”

“Uh... Sesshomaru-sama, how pleasant to see you once more.  We are sorry to... interrupt your visit with Inuyasha and Kagome-sama.”  The monk tossed the inuhanyou a look hoping for an explanation as to why he was sitting so calmly with his older half-brother in his home like it was a normal occurrence.  “We were not in the village until a short time ago and the villagers told us Koga was here.”

“Keh.  The jewel disappeared everywhere, not just here.  The wolf came sniffing after it and Kagome.  We,” he paused, “Well, Kagome actually, sent him on his way.”

Ever the diplomat and hostess, Kagome smiled at her friends and motioned for them to come in and make themselves comfortable.  “We were on our way over to visit with the twins when Sesshomaru-sama and Rin-chan arrived.”  Sango nodded slowly, glancing over at her husband and then the kitsune behind them.  Shippo nudged the others forward, encouraging them to sit beside Kagome near the twins while he took up the position between Inuyasha and his brother.  Sesshomaru eyed Shippo for several moments as though he didn't recognize him.

“The kitsune?”

“Shippo.  You tried to burn off my tail once,” the red-headed fox bit out, said tail puffing up behind him a little.  Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow and looked him over once more.

“You were much smaller then,” he replied, as if that explained everything.  Inuyasha was the one to bite his lip this time to keep from laughing.  Shippo was bristling in indignation while the inuyoukai seemed completely unfazed.  Of course, “unfazed” was Sesshomaru's general state of existence.  “Monk, Slayer,” he greeted the others with a brief glance in their direction.  Neither one tried to correct him with their names.

“You're looking well Rin-chan.  You've grown since we last saw you,” Sango said with a warm smile after a short glance at Kagome.

Rin blushed at the praise and bowed her head.  “Thank you Mistress Tajiya.”

“Please, call me Sango.”  Again Rin seemed inordinately pleased by the idea.

“Thank you Sango-san.”  The young woman glanced at her lord and fell silent again, clearly feeling nervous for some reason.

After several moments of awkward silence, Sesshomaru finally spoke again.  “There was another reason for this visit.”  Inuyasha's ears perked at his brother's words, now nervous again that his full youkai sibling was up to no good.  “It is this Sesshomaru's wish that Rin be trained in her... miko abilities.”  Inuyasha glanced at Kagome and caught a slightly skeptical look on her face.

“You would want her to have the capabilities that come along with that?” she spoke up after a breath.  Sesshomaru only gave a curt nod in response.  “I'm sorry my lord, but that doesn't make much sense.  I can't imagine that the other youkai under your leadership would approve of a miko under your roof.”  The inuyoukai's lip curled almost imperceptibly in irritation.

“She will remain here until she is strong enough to defend herself.”  His golden eyes turned to the tajiya, freezing poor Sango under their intense scrutiny.  “Hand to hand combat training would be to her benefit as well.”  Sango glanced at her husband who could only shrug lightly.

“I would be honored to train you, Rin-chan.”  

The young woman had remained completely silent through this exchange and Kagome saw in her downcast face that she hadn't known about this plan.  “Rin-chan, is that what you want?” she asked softly, gently rocking the cradles beside her to encourage the twins to sleep.

Rin clearly looked to her lord for some indication before looking down at her lap again.  “If Lord Sesshomaru wishes for me to participate in the training, then I will do it.”

Kagome gave her brother-in-law a hard look to which he raised an eyebrow.  “It is for her own safety that the training is necessary,” he admitted after a beat.  “There are those in my court that do not agree with a spiritually powerful human living within this Sesshomaru's walls.”  It was clear by his tone that “not agree” was an understatement.  “It has also come to my attention that, untrained, her power may manifest itself regardless and she would be unable to control it.  If this were the case, she may actually be a danger to others and herself.”  Rin's eyes turned sharply to her lord, her face going slightly ashen.  No one could mistake the thought that had obviously occurred to her.  If she were unable to control her spiritual power, she may hurt or kill the youkai she clearly adored.

“Kagome-sama, please.  May we begin tomorrow?” she gasped, her large brown eyes turning Kagome's way this time.  Even if she had been disinclined to help, there was no way she could have denied the girl anything with a look like that.  Glancing down at her boys and then up at her husband, she tried to think of the best way to go about training Rin and still care for her family.

“It may be prudent for you to begin basic training with Kaede-sama and myself before learning some of the more intensive techniques with Kagome-sama,” Miroku broke in.  “Kaede is a very capable instructor,” he assured both Rin and Sesshomaru.

Smiling at the thoughtful interjection from her friend, Kagome nodded.  “Miroku's right.  She taught me the fundamentals before I began figuring some things out on my own.  If it's controlling your energy that is the most important part, Miroku and Kaede-obaachan are your best bet.”  Rin's smile was a little watery with gratitude and barely suppressed tears.  She bowed her head in thanks several times.

“We can begin physical training in a few days,” Sango added.  “Or whenever you return...  You'll need to go back for your things, won't you?”  This focused everyone's attention on the silent youkai lord.  His amber eyes were trained on his ward, something strange in his gaze.

Inuyasha could tell that his brother had just come to the realization that he would have to leave Rin with them for some time.  The inuhanyou knew that if it were him leaving Kagome behind, there would be no way he could do it.  “She will be safe here.  She can stay with us or with the old woman.”  Sesshomaru's eyes flicked to his younger sibling for barely a moment before returning to Rin.  “You got subjects to rule,” he reminded him in a low voice, “and they'll make trouble if you're gone too long.”  Rin was equally focused on the inuyoukai at her side, now too understanding that it would mean time apart for them.

Sesshomaru finally pulled his eyes away from her and stared first his brother and then, surprisingly, the kitsune down.  “You are charged with her safety.  If anything should happen to her...”

Shippo piped up immediately.  “Don't worry, Inuyasha and I are really good at this kind of thing,” he said with a small smirk.  “There's no way Kagome would still be here if we weren't.”  Kagome let out an offended squeak, but then she couldn't help laughing a little.  Unfortunately, her adopted son was right.  She couldn't count all the times she'd been in, or stupidly put herself in, danger and her friends had come to her rescue.

“To fail would mean your death,” was the taiyoukai's low response.


****
“They got back here pretty fast,” Kagome commented as she and Inuyasha gave Rin and Sesshomaru the privacy to say their goodbyes.  Kagome couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was obvious that Rin was desperately trying not to cry while Sesshomaru was stiffly trying to offer her comfort and reassurance without openly embracing her.  The miko sighed, bouncing the infant in her arms a moment.  “She's going to be a mess for a few days.  We should probably let her settle in before she starts any training.”

“He's coming back in a week,” Inuyasha said with an exasperated sigh.  “It's not like she's never gonna see him again.”

Kagome rolled her eyes at her husband's dismissive attitude.  “If you were leaving me for a whole week, I'd be pretty broken up about it too.”

“Keh.  That's different.  You're my mate,” he said, as if that made all the difference in the world.  He frowned a second later, glancing over to see the slightly startled look on Kagome's face.  “Or you will be anyway.  At some point.  You know, soon.”  The inuhanyou scratched the back of his neck a little uncomfortably.  He still hadn't had an opportunity to really talk to Kagome about what it meant for them to become mated.  They needed to talk about it soon because he knew that she was getting closer to being more or less back to normal and their stolen moments together were getting heavier every time.

Kagome shook him from his heated thoughts by clearing her throat.  “At any rate, the separation will be hard for both of them.  She's been with him for a long time.”  She nudged her hanyou with her shoulder.  “Sound familiar?”

“Keh.”  Kagome laughed softly.  Changing her focus, she cooed down at Toga in her arms, gently nuzzling his nose.  A soft burble came out of him that made her raise her head in question.  He was smiling at her with that adorably toothless, wide open smile that babies have.  Leaning down, she repeated the nuzzle and almost jumped when her son let out a long squeal of laughter.  She looked to Inuyasha, who was staring agape at Toga.  “Did he just... Was that...”  Both of them grinned in delight.  That was the first time either one of the twins had laughed.  Kagome teared up slightly, not even sure why.  “Oi, none of that,” Inuyasha murmured, gathering her close with the arm not cradling Hitoshi to his chest.

“Sorry, I don't know why I'm so emotional.  I thought I was over that part,” she tried to joke.

“Don't know why you thought that.  You've always been crazy,” he murmured affectionately.  Kagome gently nudged him in the ribs.  After a moment of close silence, he huffed out a breath.  “I couldn't do it.”  Kagome glanced up at him in confusion.  “Leave you for even a week.  Being separated from you by... by the other me for months was torture.”  His soft admission brought more tears to her eyes and Kagome tilted her face so she could gently nuzzle his chin.  Another sigh left the inuhanyou and he dipped his mouth to hers, lingering for just a moment shy of what his control could handle.  “Once the pups are down for the night, we need to talk.”

“Ominous,” Kagome breathed out in what she hoped was a joking tone, despite the churning in her gut at the serious note in his voice.  The pair separated to a more publicly appropriate distance as Rin made her way toward them, Sesshomaru still standing off in the distance.  Kagome gave the young woman a small encouraging smile, knowing what the girl must be going through.  “Come on Rin-chan.  Do you want to help me give the boys a bath?  Maybe we'll get a giggle out of one of them again.”  The round, watery brown eyes lifted to hers in wonder before glancing at the pups.

“I... I would like that.  Thank you, Kagome-sama.”  Inuyasha rolled his eyes.  Not wanting the girl to keep moping, he growled something comforting to Hitoshi as he handed his second-born over to the young miko-in-training.  “Oh.  Hello little one,” she breathed, cradling him close.  Hitoshi didn't cry out this time, staring up at her with a look that would have scrutinized if he didn't have to blink so many times.  A tiny smile grew on Rin's face and Inuyasha grunted, satisfied that he'd averted a small disaster.  He watched the two mikos walk back to their home and then turned to find his brother still standing in the path.

Inuyasha made his way over and stood at his brother's side in silence for a moment.  “It's gonna be tough, but you'll get through it.  Like you said, it's for her own protection.”

“This Sesshomaru does not know what you are babbling about, hanyou.”  

Inuyasha only shook his head and tried to hide a grin.  Covering a softer emotion with anger.  Familiar.  “Don't worry about her forgetting you either.  I don't understand why she's into such a stiff bastard as you, but she's definitely not letting you go without a fight.”  Barely avoiding the fist that swung at his face, Inuyasha laughed.  “See you in a week, Fluffy!”  Inuyasha took the moment of surprise on his brother's face as his escape and leaped away toward home.  He smirked as he felt Sesshomaru gather his youki and fly off on his little cloud of energy.


****


“No, really, it's alright Kagome-sama.  I think it better that I stay with Kaede-san for a little while.”  Kagome held back a frown.  Rin had not unpacked any of her things and was insisting that she stay with the older miko.

“We  have the spare...”

“Kagome, drop it.”  Inuyasha's gruff tone startled her enough that she did, sighing and going in to sit with the twins while they napped and Inuyasha carried Rin's things over to Kaede's.  The young woman's mopey attitude the whole way over made him scowl.  “She just worries about you, kid.  She's like that.”

Rin nodded slowly.  “Sesshomaru-sama explained that you and Kagome-sama needed your hut to yourselves for a while and that he would make other arrangements when he was able to return.”  Inuyasha scoffed, turning his face away to hide his blush.  So it was obvious to his brother that he and Kagome had things to figure out and that having Rin around would make that difficult.  Not that he didn't appreciate the thought, he just didn't like that his brother was considering their private affairs.  “Inuyasha-sama?”

“You don't need the lord crap, kid.”  Rin bowed her head in thought for a moment, slowing her walking pace until Inuyasha had to stop or leave her behind.  “What is it?”

“Has Kagome-sama ever hurt you with her energy?”

“Keh.  No.”  The young woman chewed her lip anxiously.  “She didn't have control of her powers at first either.  It took time.  She didn't have all the help you'll have.”  He took a breath.  “Kagome never wanted to hurt me, so she didn't.  I'm sure, if she'd wanted to, she could have.”  Rin's large dark eyes lifted to his face, again startling Inuyasha with how much she looked like his wife had when they'd first met.  It was more a similarity, rather than a twin face, and he wondered how he could ever have mistaken Kagome for Kikyo.  Rin looked more like Kikyo than Kagome ever had and even she was distinct enough for the similarities to be almost unimportant.  Twin souls, not the same one.  Kagome was right.  There was no way they were the same soul.  Connected, related, but not the same.  “You'll learn that your energy obeys your heart more than you would think,” he said aloud, not realizing how true it was until it came out of his mouth.  His own youki was like that too.  Rising to the surface to protect him so he could protect Kagome, fading when he risked hurting her.

Rin seemed relieved by his answer and hurried to catch up to him on the path.  Again he was baffled by the true care she held for his brother and that the frigid bastard seemed equally attached to her.  He could have simply allowed her to die years before or have left her in a human village once she was speaking.  Instead he'd kept her close, rarely leaving her side.  He felt a twinge of old buried hurt.  His brother had never shown him the same courtesy and they were family.  You didn't even know what family really meant until Kagome showed up, he reminded himself.  

After he dropped Rin off with Kaede, he really thought about what family meant to him now.  With Toga and Hitoshi, he understood responsibility, the feeling of being needed by someone else even more than anything he'd ever felt with Kagome before now.  She needed him too, just in a very different way than his tiny sons did.  They were too young to know love, but they understood the basics of Pack dynamics and that included receiving affection, comfort and food.  Kagome was a different story.  She didn't demand anything of him, constantly thanked him for providing for them and helping as much as he did.  She didn't understand Pack, he realized.  She was judging him by strictly human standards and he was far exceeding them.  He smirked to himself as the hut came into view.

The smirk dropped off his face when he caught the sound of a whimpering infant.  He was inside in a flash, his eyes darting around for trouble and his nose taking in any scents available to him.  Kagome was nowhere to be seen and he panicked.  “Kagome!” he called, finding both the boys in their cradles in the bedroom where they should be.  Nothing was out of place except that Kagome was not there either.  “Kagome!”  Again no response.  He sniffed again and very faintly caught the scent of her blood.  He practically tore the door off the bathroom and found her laying on the floor.  He sucked in a breath at the same time he scurried to her.  “Kagome?  Kagome, wake up!”  He rolled her carefully to her side, immediately spotting the bruise and lump on her forehead.  From how and where she was laying it was clear she'd hit her head on the side of the tub.  “Kagome, wake up.  Do you hear me?”  A groan was her only response at first and he let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.  As gently as he could manage, he cradled her into his arms and lifted her.  She groaned again, her eyelids fluttering as he rolled out the futon with his foot and put her down.

“Inuyasha?” she whispered, her tone confused.

“Kagome,” he whimpered.  “What happened?”

For a moment her eyes narrowed and he thought she was upset with him until he realized she was trying to remember.  “I... I was in the bathroom, washing up after I fed and changed the boys.  Then...”  She paused, clearly trying to piece together her memories.  “They were asleep,” she said distractedly, trying to look over to their cradles but wincing at the movement.  “I guess I must have fainted.”

“Kagome, did you drink enough water before you fed them?” he asked gently.  “Have you eaten?”  Kagome was not usually this forgetful.  She was the one who made sure he knew all the things she needed to be doing to keep herself healthy and able to keep breastfeeding the twins as long as possible.  She gingerly pressed a finger against her head, hissing at the pain.

“Owww,” she whined.  Inuyasha slowly helped her sit up, making sure nothing else hurt while he was at it.  “Are the boys ok?”  Leaving her once she was stable enough to stay upright on her own, Inuyasha went to the closest cradle and blinked several times.  Silver hair, silver ears.  The baby in the crib blinked up at him with golden eyes.  Inuyasha looked into the the other cradle and found the same aside from the violet eyes looking back with a slightly too wise look about them.  “Inuyasha, what's wrong?  Are they ok?”  Inuyasha stopped her before she could crawl over to him.  Taking a deep sniff over each of them, he confirmed what he'd already guessed.

“They're almost fully youkai.”

“What?” Kagome breathed, ignoring his motion to stay back.  “They...  What happened to them?  Are they ok?  What...”  She was behind him almost immediately, grasping his shoulder tightly.

Inuyasha reached into the closest cradle, holding Toga up so they could better inspect him.  He made curious burbles and wuffing noises at them, clearly unaware of what they were staring at.  “He looks identical to you.”  Without a word, he set their first-born in Kagome's arms and took Hitoshi from where he was chewing his fist.  As they had both suspected a few times before, he seemed more aware of their emotions than his brother and was anxious in reaction to their anxiety.

Much like Toga, Hitoshi looked exactly like him aside from the color of his eyes.  Both pups were quieter and more aware than usual, something that confused Inuyasha.  When woken from sleeping, the boys were usually groggy and cranky for a while afterward, but they were both staring at their parents as if totally aware and waiting for something.  Inuyasha's brows dropped and he gently expanded his youki, sensing how it interacted with the youki of the boys.  Both of their energies bowed under his, acknowledging his dominance but accepting it with the normal affection of pups greeting their father.  The auras felt familiar, but distinctly stronger than before.  Through the interaction he could also feel their worry for their mother.  They knew something had gone wrong and they knew it was because of them.  “They didn't mean to, but I think they drew energy from you somehow while they were feeding.”

Kagome looked up from Toga's slightly pinched face and raised an eyebrow at her husband.  “But I'm not youkai, how would drawing energy from me make them more... youkai than before?  If anything it should have...”  She found she couldn't even admit that her energy could have purified her sons, harmed them in any way.

The inuhanyou didn't want to say it, didn't want to acknowledge it, but there was no denying that it was likely.  “The jewel must have something to do with it.”  The way Kagome's face went ashen at the words made him scoop Hitoshi against his chest and put his other arm around her shoulders.  “It was inside you a long time, Kagome,” he reminded her gently.  “It's part of what makes you such a strong miko.  Maybe you absorbed some of the youki from it too.”

“Can't that thing just be gone and leave us alone?” she whimpered, burying her face in his shoulder.  He held her close, rumbling softly to calm his family.  Despite their worry over the side-effects that increasing their youki might have on their sons, the young parents had to admit that nothing seemed to actually be wrong with them.
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