InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ My Darling Emiko 2: The Fox and the Dog ❯ Two Kids and a Baboon ( Chapter 10 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: dog-demon-emiko 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Action | Type: Fanfiction Sequel | Uploaded On: 08.31.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 5.2K | Visits: 301 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Action | Type: Fanfiction Sequel | Uploaded On: 08.31.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 5.2K | Visits: 301 | Status: Work In Progress
Mika and Rin had arrived at the West only 3 days after they had originally left. The countryside was much to steep and rocky to use any sort of transportation. Mika had noticed that Rin's smell was getting odder. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it made her worry. The girl was complaining about how she felt sick a lot and her appetite decreased slightly. As long as Mika had known Rin, the girl would never turn down chocolate, let alone free chocolate. But Mika kept her thoughts and feelings to herself. There was no need to worry the girl any more than she already was.
When they reached the West, Mika felt the twins staring at her from afar. Making sure her spells were in place, she walked on with Rin at her side like she didn't see them. They made themselves known, however, when Aiko came to greet Rin, dragging Kurama with her.
"Hi! My name's Aiko, and this is my brother Kurama. Who are you?" Rin looked at the tiny fox in recognition. She reminded her so much pf herself. Short sentences and an innocent smile. 'All she has to do is speck of herself in third person.' Rin giggled. To this day Sesshomaru denies that Rin picked up the habit of speaking in third person came from him.
"I am Rin. It's nice to meet you." she looked at the pouting Kurama. He reminded her of Jaken when she used to drag him off the pick flowers to await Sesshomaru's return. 'Only Jaken was no cuter than my little left toe.' Rin giggled again. "I don't think Kurama likes being dragged by his ears." The innocent Aiko looked at her brother who was glaring holes into the side of her face.
"No," Aiko said, looking slyly at Rin "he's always like that. Besides, he might fly away if I let go. The wind is strong today." Kurama growled and lunged at her. Aiko jumped up, tail wagging, and took off. Kurama ran after her screaming 20 ways to pound her. Mika sighed.
"Shouldn't we stop them?" Rin asked her, slightly concerned.
"No, he really would never hurt her. They grow out of it one day, sort of." Mika let a smirk escape her before she continued on into the palace. They walked to the healer's wing. A girl with black hair highlighted with brown stood over the Lord of the West. She was currently bandaging a wound in his side that suspiciously looked like a bite mark. "You still just can't leave him alone." Mika said with a smirk as she helped Rin into a seat. "The mans turned into a dog, and you still can't just...not bother him." Inuyasha glared daggers at her. Saiyuki's hazel eyes looked over at Mika, then to Rin.
"Lady Rin, are you well? You look pale." It was then that Inuyasha looked at Rin.
"It's expected." he said, trying to sit up. Now, normally Saiyuki was a gentle person, one of the family. She cared for everything and everyone. But for the years of being a healer, and the limited miko powers she had, she was an odd human. Mika had never seen her angry, but her mother told her stories. Saiyuki had once chained Inuyasha to the bed so she could heal a wound that happened when Sesshomaru put a paw through his mid-section. She heard Saiyuki had a nasty temper; she wasn't a healer to cross. Not even Inuyasha, who could destroy her in a second, crossed the healer on a bad day. Almost as if Saiyuki heard her thoughts, she turned to Inuyasha.
"What are you doing? Lay back down, I'm not finished." It wasn't that Saiyuki wasn't respectful, but she was serious.
"I'm healing as we speak-" he was cut off when Saiyuki laid a finger next to his wound firmly. Inuyasha yelped like a dog that got his foot stepped on, and glared at her.
"Just as I thought." she said gently. She put an arm to Inuyasha's chest and pushed him down with strength that the dainty healer possessed somewhere. "Your not done my lord. Let me finish unless you want the wound to become infected."
"I'm a demon, I don't-" a glare from the human caused his mouth the clamp shut with an audible click.
"Your forgetting the times you live in my lord. The air is not as pure as it once was." Inuyasha could've sworn for the thousandth time that when Saiyuki said 'your', it sounded close to 'ye'. He could swear that Saiyuki was the reincarnation of Keade, and she knew it, and was mocking him. Saiyuki spoke with wisdom beyond her years. Wisdom that could come straight from the baba's mouth. He couldn't tell if they look alike however. Saiyuki was in her twenties. Inuyasha had seen Keade as an eight-year-old when he was sealed to the tree, and when he woke up, she was almost 60. He only grumbled and folded his arms.
"You said 'it's expected', what did you mean?" Mika asked Inuyasha. The demon lord looked over to the hanyou and raised a brow.
"She's pregnant. It's expected that she feels-" There was a thump. Rin had fallen out of her chair and onto the floor. Mika quickly went over to her.
"She's fine, just fainted." There was another thump, and another. But they weren't bodies falling to the floor; it was bodies being thrown against the door. Mika dashed to open the door and was nearly bulldozed over by an enormous white dog that could easily be mistaken for an artic wolf. It had golden eyes, which darted around before going over to Rin on the floor. Sesshomaru pawed at his once-ward and let out a whimper that clearly stated her wanted to know what's wrong. "Gee Sesshomaru, I'm fine, really. I have all of my limbs and fingers." Mika said sarcastically, shutting the door. She walked over to the fallen girl and put her on the bed. "She's fainted. She just found out she's pregnant." Sesshomaru's growl vibrated through the air. "Oh stop it. She's married like it or not, you act as if she was just sleeping around. Tsume doesn't hate you, so why do you make him so nervous. Not to be rude, but he could probably kill you if he wanted. You aren't the threat you used to be." Mika said this with her back turned. She had trust that Sesshomaru wouldn't attack her; he would regret it if he did. Sesshomaru huffed and laid his head on Rin's bed. She knew that he saw her as a daughter, and wouldn't leave her side. She just wished he'd stop being so overbearing on the girl. Sesshomaru refuses to admit that the little 8 year-old girl that had tried to nurse him to health was now a healthy, beautiful girl that appeared to be in her thirties. She was really in her...oh...eight hundreds or so? Give or take a few decades...
Emiko sat in the garden again. The fox kits and Furu were on her lap. It was two days since she and Huyana had come in contact with the new lord. Huyana had to attend a meeting in town with the very same lord, -only after a promise that he wouldn't do anything rash- but kept an eye on Rakanu. They had been gone about 4 hours when Huyana found her. He began to try and sneak up on her, but decided against it. There was a vixen and her kits there. The vixen looked at Huyana, eyes wise enough but lively enough to tell him she was to smart for his tricks. Huyana shrugged. He was taught to never argue with a vixen. Mates were an exception; they could always work out there problems in bed. He smirked.
"She's not that stupid Huyana." Emiko said. She turned and looked at him. She was wearing a dark blue kimono with silver embroidering. But she wasn't wearing a one piece, like most Ladies, but a two-piece. She wasn't doing anything formal, and she wasn't allowed to wear her regular clothes. Huyana walked over to her and sat down. The oldest kits jumped from Emiko to Huyana, sniffing and snapping. He began to play with them while telling Emiko of his meeting. Emiko listened on half-heartedly. Yes, she was the 'Princess of the Southwest', technically...but Huyana didn't exactly claim the lands yet for after his mother died. And Kujintu wasn't allowed to unless Huyana officially turned them down. Even so, politics bored her. They did in her time, they do in her mother's time, and they do in her father's time. It made her feel childish and dumb. "I'm sorry, what?" she said, looking at him at a loss.
"Were you paying attention to anything I was saying?" he asked her, a kit hanging from his hand and another on her head, snapping at his large, twitching ears. Emiko smiled.
"Ah, no, sorry."
"I was saying of how Rakanu was so interested in the Lands and the family. It was odd. He kept saying, 'in your past time', or something like it. Then he brought op the West."
"The West is none of his concern. Someone needs to stick a hot poker up his ass." Huyana cringed.
"And what would that do?" Emiko shrugged.
"Teach him a lesson...make me laugh...a lot of things."
"I love how you talk about things like that so casually."
"It's something else I've learned at Tokyo High School." she said with fake pride. Huyana chuckled, before poking her in her side. Over the years, he learned she was devilishly ticklish with a simple poke. But instead of getting her usual reaction, which would be jumping in the air about a foot and going into a laughing fit, she snarled loudly and bared her teeth while looking at him straight in the eyes. Huyana was taken aback by her behavior. Even though her face looked fierce, her hold of the kit in her lap remained gentle. Youkai nature kicked up within Huyana's heart. His inner demon demanded that his bitch be taught submission; that she was not to get away with such an action. He suppressed it and looked at Emiko reproachfully. She was still snarling at him. Her ears were flickering in uncertainty, obviously not knowing whether to dominate or submit. Her eyes were steadily becoming dilated and her lip still curled above her teeth.
"Emiko." he said assertively. The growls died down and her ears remained halfway back. Her lip unfolded and covered her fangs, and she looked away from him back to the kit who was now looking at her in slight fear. Emiko put the kit down and sighed. Any fear the kit showed was put aside when it found the courage to crawl back into her lap. It started back up at her with a look only a child could have and rubbed its head against her affectionately. She began to caress its head once more. Huyana moved behind Emiko. Careful of the kit, he wrapped his hands securely around her waist and pulled her to him. She came without argument, but still refused to meet his eyes. "What was that all about?" he asked her. She kept her eyes locked on the kit who was being lulled to sleep.
"I don't know, I just snapped." she admitted. It was true. She didn't know what came over her, she just...snapped.
"I could see that. Why?" His voice sounded dissappointed, maybe even hurt. When they had first met, they worked on trust. She had told Huyana one night about her greatest fear: losing someone close. She didn't want to be close to him for the same fear. It took months before she trusted him enough to become his mate. Now, when she did things like this, she hated herself for it. She didn't want Huyana to think that she didn't trust him.
"I don't know, honestly I don't." Huyana sighed, and kissed her temple.
"I'm going to bathe. I'll see you at dinner." he kissed her temple once more and walked away. Emiko frowned at his back. She wasn't sure if he was hurt or not. He used his emotionless voice so she couldn't tell. There wasn't much that could make the fox stressed to the point of sounding that way towards her. She still continued to stroke the kit, staying in the position he left her in, saying silent apologies to him. She was beginning to feel sick. Wondering why her stomach was churning, she lay on her side; the kit snuggled to her chest. She never remembered falling asleep.
Huyana sighed as he sat in the private hot springs that he and Emiko shared. He could hear the servants leave from the room, finishing the evening cleaning. He disappeared under water for a second before reemerging. Huyana didn't like to swim, nor did he like to be under water. He wasn't sure if he knew how to swim. Besides bathing, he despised being wet. It's a fox thing...
His thoughts wandered to the woman who he had devoted his life to. When he had walked into the garden, he noticed an odd scent. It smelled it babies for a second, but there were kits all around her. Could she be pregnant? They didn't even...wait...yes they did. Huyana could hide a smirk, thinking of the way she melted like puddy in his hands when he kissed her. She was submissive...but today, she snapped. Pregnancy would explain the sensitivity of her stomach. He would wait, however. He didn't want to tell her and then worry her over nothing if he was mistaken. A new sense of fear and protectiveness came over him. Rakanu was asking of his family and Emiko's. That included the children. He didn't tell Emiko this, however. Last time she nearly took his head off. He wouldn't risk that again, no matter how much he wanted to do it himself. He would have to keep her close. Huyana knew from experience that Emiko acted rashly when she was pregnant. She was always fidgety, like she couldn't sit down, like something was coming after her. He would have to fix her of that. She nearly got herself killed once.
Flashback
Emiko was about a month away from her due date. Youkai are only pregnant for 4 months give or take a week. Huyana tried to help nurse her through the pains of her pregnancy, but as soon as he turned his back she was up and moving. More than once he had to trap her in his lap and make her sit. They even tried sealing her in a hut with Miroku's sutras sp? with her hands tied. It didn't work. She singed the tie and used her mikos powers to cancel the sutras magic.
This time, they had her in Keade's hut. Keade and Sango were in their with her. Kilala laid by the door so she couldn't leave. Emiko grumbled and huffed, shifted and shuffled. She would not sit still. Somehow, she had managed to sneak out a window. Inuyasha had feel asleep on the roof and Huyana was patrolling the territory in the form of a tiny fox.
Huyana heard a tiny shuffle of feet from the river e had just walked by. Doubling back, he jumped to the trees to look. Emiko was at the river upwind from him. He held back a growl, she seemed to be fishing. Just as she splashed to catch it, a twig broke behind him. He turned to see a large neko youkai. His eyes were red and from the gagging smell, his hormone level was high. Before he could even move, the youkai was already racing to his mate. Turning to his humanoid form once more, he shoved the youkai out of the way. Before he could shout to Emiko to leave, she had already over his head to attack. She had landed her feet on his nose and back flipped to land on her feet. The youkai's nose cracked with a crunch, and he roared in fury. In the next second, waves of yellow energy had ripped thought the youkai, killing him. Inuyasha stood where the youkai once was, Tetsuiga over his shoulder. Huyana saw that he was glaring at the two of them. Behind him came Miroku and his staff, Sango and her Hiraikotsu, and Kagome and her arrows. The entire group looked at Huyana, who then turned to look at Emiko. She was now standing on the shore looking innocent as a puppy. She gave a nervous chuckle as her ears turned back shyly.
"I was... thirsty?" Inuyasha glared, Huyana growled, and the rest of the group sighed.
"It seems we've been giving you to much freedom." Huyana said coolly. Emiko shuffled nervously, that voice always meant she was in trouble.
In the end, Kagome went back to her time and brought a leash made of something called nylon, and Emiko was one unhappy, but safe, puppy with a mate's leash around her neck. It was harmless, unless she pulled all the time, which would make it become shorter until there was no more. A week before she gave birth, they took it off. She had pulled until she was glued to the wall by her neck. He and Inuyasha took vigil when she left. She was forbidden to leave the village and come dusk she had to be in the hut.
End flashback
Huyana sighed. He wasn't sure another four months of constant fear would be good for him. He would have to keep Emiko plastered to his sighed at all times. Huyana sank deeper into his bath and stared at his tail, whose tip had floated to the surface. He closed his eyes, imagining the image of Emiko sitting contently in his lap with a small, silver haired child his her arms. 'But that's just the thing, isn't it? Emiko's not the submissive housewife. She's...rouge. She's loyal to only me, but she's still a wildfire.' She knew how to push his buttons...she knew how to make his blood boil and burn with heat and passion.
Huyana had been raised thinking that females were content in the kitchen. As he got older, he realized that mates were to be in the kitchen and in the bed. They were to obey and breed. His brother, Kujintu, had told him that mates were not a partnership; it was about the kids; kids, and sex. Huyana didn't want to believe it. Kujintu had told him that given the chance, they would walk all over you, take your things, and make your life hell. When Huyana got his first mate, he realized differently. The marriage between he and Aikata was arranged when they were both kits. They had met only one time before they got married. It was...awkward, waking up in the morning to, he could well say, a stranger. They grew fond of each other; they became best friends. Then they grew to love. Five years after they had married they finally had their first child. A son, named Shinomatou. For short, they called him Tou. It was almost perfect. In the first years of their marriage, Huyana constantly told Aikata she didn't have to mate with him, nor prepare everything for him like a servant. She could be content with him, or not.
The day she was to be released from the 3-day stay for recovery from birth, Huyana rushed home to escort her. He was coming back from a political talk. He didn't even remember turning when he saw his mate, huddled and protecting their son, floating in mid-air, screaming, while her soul was ripped from her body. She fell limply to the ground, as did the baby, who, too, was soulless. Huyana could see it all clearly. But this time, it was different. His mate had dog-ears? And cackling on the sidelines was Rakanu?
Huyana shot up out of the water gasping for air. He wiped the water from his eyes, trying desperately the fill his lungs. There seemed to be no air in the room. There was a soft knock on the door.
"Lord Huyana, is everything alright?" came his Chinese servant-maid's voice.
"Yes yes Xuingsha, everything's fine."
"Yes my lord." He hard her feet scuttle out the room. Huyana wrapped a towel around his waist and walked to the dressing room, kept separate because to the heat from the bath. He picked out a simple white kimono with yellow on the shoulders and hems. He combed out his hair and put it in a loose braid. He turned to comb out his tail, finding more tangles in it than ever. He winced when he pulled out the last knot and put the comb down. He walked out of the washroom to see Emiko lying on the bed. There was a crease between her eyebrows and her mouth was in a tight line. She was on her side, her back to the edge, and had one hand on her stomach. Forgetting his earlier feelings, he went over to her swiftly. He put his hand on her head. She jumped when he did so.
"Huyana, I-" she tried to sit up, but he laid her back down and put a finger to his lips. He untied her obi, put her on her back, and opened her haroi just enough to see her abdomen. Emiko opened her mouth to protest, but Huyana put his finger to her lips. He gently put his nose to her abs. Her muscles twitched at the gentle touch as he glided over her belly button and stopped just above it. Pressing his nose in very slightly, he inhaled carefully, making sure he missed nothing and analyzed every molecule. He processed the information for a second. It was sakura blossoms, but mixed with a tiny bit of spice and the scent of nothingness. The nothingness it something though, it was how he described the scent of ...baby. He put his nose back to her abdomen and inhaled again. He was certain. There were traces of baby in her scent. "Huyana, what in seven hells are you doing?" Emiko demanded. He looked up at her. Her hands were by her head and out of his way. Her hair was fanned out, her brows creased, and her lips pouty. Huyana gave a warm smile and closed the haroi. He leaned up and kissed her pouty lips.
"It seems our family is growing." He said with a hand on her stomach. Emiko looked at him as if she was looking at a crazed doctor with a large knife.
"Are you sure?" she asked, her expression unreadable. Huyana nodded.
"I don't know the gender, but it's definitely there." he said softly. He rubbed her abdomen slowly and gently, looking into her eyes with love that was returned just as fully. She sat up with a grimace and hugged him. Putting her head under his chin, she began to purr.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier. I guess I just, I don't know. I-"
"Shh. There's no need to explain. You're pregnant. It happens. I've got to warn you though, your instincts will be sharper...and your symptoms will be worse. Your body is getting used to pregnancy now, so it'll be harder this time." Emiko nodded. She was falling asleep fast. She had come into the room to wait out a bad, sudden stomachache. She was so transfixed on the pain that she didn't hear Huyana. When he touched her though, the pain went away. Huyana lay his now sleeping mate on the bed, stripping off her...boots? Huyana shook his head. When they came here, Emiko agreed to the dress code of kimonos, but she refused to leave the 'combat boots'. She stated she hated slippers and sandals. She said it was either her boots or nothing, she didn't care. Huyana thought she was joking, and wore the sandals. He didn't, he wore his own boots. But his didn't have as many buckles and straps. An: he has boots like Sesshomaru's.
Regardless, he slipped them off and pulled off her socks and lie down beside her. The only thing left to do was explain to everyone else. Aiko and Kurama would be happy. They could use someone else to play with instead of beating on each other. Shippou and Kilala were wonderful, but Shippou was more attached to Kurama and Kilala was the same with Aiko. They needed someone else to...break it up. He smirked, Inuyasha had told them to 'behave', but he never said what behave meant...
"WIND SCAR!" The waves of yellow energy crashed across the field, clearing trees, shrubs, and grass. It tossed the wielder's silver hair with its terrifying energy. An arrow whizzed by his ear. As it picked up speed to catch up with Tetsuiga attack, it began to glow blue with the powers and energy only a priestess is capable of having. It slammed into a barrier that protected the demon wearing a white baboon pelt. Inuyasha looked up to his flying friend. She was wearing a tight black suite that hugged her every curve. Pink plates adorned her knees, shoulders and mid-section. A poisonous mask covered the bottom half of her face, and her brown hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. In one hand was a giant boomerang that seemed feather light when she was holding it. He knew better; it was heavy, solid demon bone. She sat atop another important part of the team, the neko-bi youkai, Kilala. With its red eyes, the sabortooth looking feline glared intently at their foe, Naraku. With his own keen demon eyes, he saw the muscles in Sango's arm tense. "Sango, no!" he yelled. She was about the throw Hiraikotsu. Once already Naraku threw it back at her, hitting her squarely in the chest and knocking her out for a moment. Her brown eyes looked at him for a moment before she nodded.
"Inuyasha, do you think perhaps this is an illusion?" came a voice behind him. Miroku was normally a joking guy. But during battle, especially with Naraku, he became serious. He was gripping the blue prayer beads around his gloved right hand while his violet eyes stared at their still immobile foe. Inuyasha knew Miroku wanted nothing more then to use Naraku's own curse against him.
"No. I can smell him, slightly now that the barrier is weakened. But I can't sense his aura." Inuyasha confessed. A hand lie on his shoulder. He turned to see brown eyes looking at him swirling with worry and determination. Her raven hair cascaded down her back and over her shoulders; bangs over her forehead. He looked into the beautiful face of his mate.
"I don't understand," her gentle voice came "how is he making puppets if he has no jewels? And even if it were really him, he'd have a jewel anyway. And he's not attacking...if Naraku wanted to launch a surprise attack to wipe us out, which he would have done if it were truly him, then he would have done it. None of this is making sense."
"So you think this is a distraction Kagome?" Miroku asked gently, not taking his eyes from Naraku.
"I...I'm not sure."
'What the hell is he up to?' Inuyasha thought. 'The only thing he would need to distract us for is the jewel, but Kagome has it. Why waste his time?'
"Inuyasha, is that who I think it is?" Miroku asked. Inuyasha snapped out of his thoughts and looked to where he was looking. Sesshomaru came at his usual slow pace from a distant. It wasn't really a surprise, they were in the West. Then again, they were upwind. Why would Sesshomaru come to them now? He didn't want to sword anymore...
"Lookout!" Sango called from above. Inuyasha snapped out of his thoughts just in time to see a tentacle fly towards him. Inuyasha jumped out of the way, pulling Kagome with him. He landed safely about 10 yards away. He had just set Kagome down when his senses went crazy. Sesshomaru had come racing up from behind Naraku and decapitated him. Inuyasha huffed. 'Leave it to that bastard to make it seem like nothing.'
They watched as nothing but a wooden doll and a strand of hair fell to the ground, and something pink. To Inuyasha, it looked like a flower petal and a leaf. Buzzing erupted from nowhere. Symyoushou appeared and carried the items away. Inuyasha didn't try to go after them, they weren't important.
"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru called, stopping a few yards away "I see you already know Naraku is back."
"I figured that much." Inuyasha yelled. Yes, he and Sesshomaru aren't fighting, but that doesn't mean he has to like him.
"He is using the pure power of the flowers from Mount Fuji in the South."
"The south? You think Naraku is with Emiko and Huyana?" Sango asked, landing with Kilala.
"I knew it!" Shippou exclaimed. No one noticed when he scuttled over to the spot where Naraku was killed. "He's using fox magic! I know the smell anywhere!"
"The power of the flower, and fox magic..." Sesshomaru mumbled. He looked to the group. "You say Emiko and the fox prince is in the South?"
Inuyasha began to realize what he was saying. "Naraku is in the South. That way, he's in the land of the foxes as well as where Mount Fuji is. Either way, Emiko and Huyana are in danger!" He looked to his wide-eyed group "Get your stuff and move out, were going to the Southwest."
"I'm going with you." Sesshomaru said calmly. This concerns my niece and my future lands." Inuyasha was about to protest when Miroku tapped him over the head with his staff.
"We'll be glad to have your help Sesshomaru-sama. Arigatou." He said with a slight bow. He went back with Sango, Kagome, Kilala, and Shippou to pack. Sesshomaru stared after them then looked to Inuyasha.
"Yea, whatever." the stubborn hanyou said, "just stay the hell out my way.
When they reached the West, Mika felt the twins staring at her from afar. Making sure her spells were in place, she walked on with Rin at her side like she didn't see them. They made themselves known, however, when Aiko came to greet Rin, dragging Kurama with her.
"Hi! My name's Aiko, and this is my brother Kurama. Who are you?" Rin looked at the tiny fox in recognition. She reminded her so much pf herself. Short sentences and an innocent smile. 'All she has to do is speck of herself in third person.' Rin giggled. To this day Sesshomaru denies that Rin picked up the habit of speaking in third person came from him.
"I am Rin. It's nice to meet you." she looked at the pouting Kurama. He reminded her of Jaken when she used to drag him off the pick flowers to await Sesshomaru's return. 'Only Jaken was no cuter than my little left toe.' Rin giggled again. "I don't think Kurama likes being dragged by his ears." The innocent Aiko looked at her brother who was glaring holes into the side of her face.
"No," Aiko said, looking slyly at Rin "he's always like that. Besides, he might fly away if I let go. The wind is strong today." Kurama growled and lunged at her. Aiko jumped up, tail wagging, and took off. Kurama ran after her screaming 20 ways to pound her. Mika sighed.
"Shouldn't we stop them?" Rin asked her, slightly concerned.
"No, he really would never hurt her. They grow out of it one day, sort of." Mika let a smirk escape her before she continued on into the palace. They walked to the healer's wing. A girl with black hair highlighted with brown stood over the Lord of the West. She was currently bandaging a wound in his side that suspiciously looked like a bite mark. "You still just can't leave him alone." Mika said with a smirk as she helped Rin into a seat. "The mans turned into a dog, and you still can't just...not bother him." Inuyasha glared daggers at her. Saiyuki's hazel eyes looked over at Mika, then to Rin.
"Lady Rin, are you well? You look pale." It was then that Inuyasha looked at Rin.
"It's expected." he said, trying to sit up. Now, normally Saiyuki was a gentle person, one of the family. She cared for everything and everyone. But for the years of being a healer, and the limited miko powers she had, she was an odd human. Mika had never seen her angry, but her mother told her stories. Saiyuki had once chained Inuyasha to the bed so she could heal a wound that happened when Sesshomaru put a paw through his mid-section. She heard Saiyuki had a nasty temper; she wasn't a healer to cross. Not even Inuyasha, who could destroy her in a second, crossed the healer on a bad day. Almost as if Saiyuki heard her thoughts, she turned to Inuyasha.
"What are you doing? Lay back down, I'm not finished." It wasn't that Saiyuki wasn't respectful, but she was serious.
"I'm healing as we speak-" he was cut off when Saiyuki laid a finger next to his wound firmly. Inuyasha yelped like a dog that got his foot stepped on, and glared at her.
"Just as I thought." she said gently. She put an arm to Inuyasha's chest and pushed him down with strength that the dainty healer possessed somewhere. "Your not done my lord. Let me finish unless you want the wound to become infected."
"I'm a demon, I don't-" a glare from the human caused his mouth the clamp shut with an audible click.
"Your forgetting the times you live in my lord. The air is not as pure as it once was." Inuyasha could've sworn for the thousandth time that when Saiyuki said 'your', it sounded close to 'ye'. He could swear that Saiyuki was the reincarnation of Keade, and she knew it, and was mocking him. Saiyuki spoke with wisdom beyond her years. Wisdom that could come straight from the baba's mouth. He couldn't tell if they look alike however. Saiyuki was in her twenties. Inuyasha had seen Keade as an eight-year-old when he was sealed to the tree, and when he woke up, she was almost 60. He only grumbled and folded his arms.
"You said 'it's expected', what did you mean?" Mika asked Inuyasha. The demon lord looked over to the hanyou and raised a brow.
"She's pregnant. It's expected that she feels-" There was a thump. Rin had fallen out of her chair and onto the floor. Mika quickly went over to her.
"She's fine, just fainted." There was another thump, and another. But they weren't bodies falling to the floor; it was bodies being thrown against the door. Mika dashed to open the door and was nearly bulldozed over by an enormous white dog that could easily be mistaken for an artic wolf. It had golden eyes, which darted around before going over to Rin on the floor. Sesshomaru pawed at his once-ward and let out a whimper that clearly stated her wanted to know what's wrong. "Gee Sesshomaru, I'm fine, really. I have all of my limbs and fingers." Mika said sarcastically, shutting the door. She walked over to the fallen girl and put her on the bed. "She's fainted. She just found out she's pregnant." Sesshomaru's growl vibrated through the air. "Oh stop it. She's married like it or not, you act as if she was just sleeping around. Tsume doesn't hate you, so why do you make him so nervous. Not to be rude, but he could probably kill you if he wanted. You aren't the threat you used to be." Mika said this with her back turned. She had trust that Sesshomaru wouldn't attack her; he would regret it if he did. Sesshomaru huffed and laid his head on Rin's bed. She knew that he saw her as a daughter, and wouldn't leave her side. She just wished he'd stop being so overbearing on the girl. Sesshomaru refuses to admit that the little 8 year-old girl that had tried to nurse him to health was now a healthy, beautiful girl that appeared to be in her thirties. She was really in her...oh...eight hundreds or so? Give or take a few decades...
Emiko sat in the garden again. The fox kits and Furu were on her lap. It was two days since she and Huyana had come in contact with the new lord. Huyana had to attend a meeting in town with the very same lord, -only after a promise that he wouldn't do anything rash- but kept an eye on Rakanu. They had been gone about 4 hours when Huyana found her. He began to try and sneak up on her, but decided against it. There was a vixen and her kits there. The vixen looked at Huyana, eyes wise enough but lively enough to tell him she was to smart for his tricks. Huyana shrugged. He was taught to never argue with a vixen. Mates were an exception; they could always work out there problems in bed. He smirked.
"She's not that stupid Huyana." Emiko said. She turned and looked at him. She was wearing a dark blue kimono with silver embroidering. But she wasn't wearing a one piece, like most Ladies, but a two-piece. She wasn't doing anything formal, and she wasn't allowed to wear her regular clothes. Huyana walked over to her and sat down. The oldest kits jumped from Emiko to Huyana, sniffing and snapping. He began to play with them while telling Emiko of his meeting. Emiko listened on half-heartedly. Yes, she was the 'Princess of the Southwest', technically...but Huyana didn't exactly claim the lands yet for after his mother died. And Kujintu wasn't allowed to unless Huyana officially turned them down. Even so, politics bored her. They did in her time, they do in her mother's time, and they do in her father's time. It made her feel childish and dumb. "I'm sorry, what?" she said, looking at him at a loss.
"Were you paying attention to anything I was saying?" he asked her, a kit hanging from his hand and another on her head, snapping at his large, twitching ears. Emiko smiled.
"Ah, no, sorry."
"I was saying of how Rakanu was so interested in the Lands and the family. It was odd. He kept saying, 'in your past time', or something like it. Then he brought op the West."
"The West is none of his concern. Someone needs to stick a hot poker up his ass." Huyana cringed.
"And what would that do?" Emiko shrugged.
"Teach him a lesson...make me laugh...a lot of things."
"I love how you talk about things like that so casually."
"It's something else I've learned at Tokyo High School." she said with fake pride. Huyana chuckled, before poking her in her side. Over the years, he learned she was devilishly ticklish with a simple poke. But instead of getting her usual reaction, which would be jumping in the air about a foot and going into a laughing fit, she snarled loudly and bared her teeth while looking at him straight in the eyes. Huyana was taken aback by her behavior. Even though her face looked fierce, her hold of the kit in her lap remained gentle. Youkai nature kicked up within Huyana's heart. His inner demon demanded that his bitch be taught submission; that she was not to get away with such an action. He suppressed it and looked at Emiko reproachfully. She was still snarling at him. Her ears were flickering in uncertainty, obviously not knowing whether to dominate or submit. Her eyes were steadily becoming dilated and her lip still curled above her teeth.
"Emiko." he said assertively. The growls died down and her ears remained halfway back. Her lip unfolded and covered her fangs, and she looked away from him back to the kit who was now looking at her in slight fear. Emiko put the kit down and sighed. Any fear the kit showed was put aside when it found the courage to crawl back into her lap. It started back up at her with a look only a child could have and rubbed its head against her affectionately. She began to caress its head once more. Huyana moved behind Emiko. Careful of the kit, he wrapped his hands securely around her waist and pulled her to him. She came without argument, but still refused to meet his eyes. "What was that all about?" he asked her. She kept her eyes locked on the kit who was being lulled to sleep.
"I don't know, I just snapped." she admitted. It was true. She didn't know what came over her, she just...snapped.
"I could see that. Why?" His voice sounded dissappointed, maybe even hurt. When they had first met, they worked on trust. She had told Huyana one night about her greatest fear: losing someone close. She didn't want to be close to him for the same fear. It took months before she trusted him enough to become his mate. Now, when she did things like this, she hated herself for it. She didn't want Huyana to think that she didn't trust him.
"I don't know, honestly I don't." Huyana sighed, and kissed her temple.
"I'm going to bathe. I'll see you at dinner." he kissed her temple once more and walked away. Emiko frowned at his back. She wasn't sure if he was hurt or not. He used his emotionless voice so she couldn't tell. There wasn't much that could make the fox stressed to the point of sounding that way towards her. She still continued to stroke the kit, staying in the position he left her in, saying silent apologies to him. She was beginning to feel sick. Wondering why her stomach was churning, she lay on her side; the kit snuggled to her chest. She never remembered falling asleep.
Huyana sighed as he sat in the private hot springs that he and Emiko shared. He could hear the servants leave from the room, finishing the evening cleaning. He disappeared under water for a second before reemerging. Huyana didn't like to swim, nor did he like to be under water. He wasn't sure if he knew how to swim. Besides bathing, he despised being wet. It's a fox thing...
His thoughts wandered to the woman who he had devoted his life to. When he had walked into the garden, he noticed an odd scent. It smelled it babies for a second, but there were kits all around her. Could she be pregnant? They didn't even...wait...yes they did. Huyana could hide a smirk, thinking of the way she melted like puddy in his hands when he kissed her. She was submissive...but today, she snapped. Pregnancy would explain the sensitivity of her stomach. He would wait, however. He didn't want to tell her and then worry her over nothing if he was mistaken. A new sense of fear and protectiveness came over him. Rakanu was asking of his family and Emiko's. That included the children. He didn't tell Emiko this, however. Last time she nearly took his head off. He wouldn't risk that again, no matter how much he wanted to do it himself. He would have to keep her close. Huyana knew from experience that Emiko acted rashly when she was pregnant. She was always fidgety, like she couldn't sit down, like something was coming after her. He would have to fix her of that. She nearly got herself killed once.
Flashback
Emiko was about a month away from her due date. Youkai are only pregnant for 4 months give or take a week. Huyana tried to help nurse her through the pains of her pregnancy, but as soon as he turned his back she was up and moving. More than once he had to trap her in his lap and make her sit. They even tried sealing her in a hut with Miroku's sutras sp? with her hands tied. It didn't work. She singed the tie and used her mikos powers to cancel the sutras magic.
This time, they had her in Keade's hut. Keade and Sango were in their with her. Kilala laid by the door so she couldn't leave. Emiko grumbled and huffed, shifted and shuffled. She would not sit still. Somehow, she had managed to sneak out a window. Inuyasha had feel asleep on the roof and Huyana was patrolling the territory in the form of a tiny fox.
Huyana heard a tiny shuffle of feet from the river e had just walked by. Doubling back, he jumped to the trees to look. Emiko was at the river upwind from him. He held back a growl, she seemed to be fishing. Just as she splashed to catch it, a twig broke behind him. He turned to see a large neko youkai. His eyes were red and from the gagging smell, his hormone level was high. Before he could even move, the youkai was already racing to his mate. Turning to his humanoid form once more, he shoved the youkai out of the way. Before he could shout to Emiko to leave, she had already over his head to attack. She had landed her feet on his nose and back flipped to land on her feet. The youkai's nose cracked with a crunch, and he roared in fury. In the next second, waves of yellow energy had ripped thought the youkai, killing him. Inuyasha stood where the youkai once was, Tetsuiga over his shoulder. Huyana saw that he was glaring at the two of them. Behind him came Miroku and his staff, Sango and her Hiraikotsu, and Kagome and her arrows. The entire group looked at Huyana, who then turned to look at Emiko. She was now standing on the shore looking innocent as a puppy. She gave a nervous chuckle as her ears turned back shyly.
"I was... thirsty?" Inuyasha glared, Huyana growled, and the rest of the group sighed.
"It seems we've been giving you to much freedom." Huyana said coolly. Emiko shuffled nervously, that voice always meant she was in trouble.
In the end, Kagome went back to her time and brought a leash made of something called nylon, and Emiko was one unhappy, but safe, puppy with a mate's leash around her neck. It was harmless, unless she pulled all the time, which would make it become shorter until there was no more. A week before she gave birth, they took it off. She had pulled until she was glued to the wall by her neck. He and Inuyasha took vigil when she left. She was forbidden to leave the village and come dusk she had to be in the hut.
End flashback
Huyana sighed. He wasn't sure another four months of constant fear would be good for him. He would have to keep Emiko plastered to his sighed at all times. Huyana sank deeper into his bath and stared at his tail, whose tip had floated to the surface. He closed his eyes, imagining the image of Emiko sitting contently in his lap with a small, silver haired child his her arms. 'But that's just the thing, isn't it? Emiko's not the submissive housewife. She's...rouge. She's loyal to only me, but she's still a wildfire.' She knew how to push his buttons...she knew how to make his blood boil and burn with heat and passion.
Huyana had been raised thinking that females were content in the kitchen. As he got older, he realized that mates were to be in the kitchen and in the bed. They were to obey and breed. His brother, Kujintu, had told him that mates were not a partnership; it was about the kids; kids, and sex. Huyana didn't want to believe it. Kujintu had told him that given the chance, they would walk all over you, take your things, and make your life hell. When Huyana got his first mate, he realized differently. The marriage between he and Aikata was arranged when they were both kits. They had met only one time before they got married. It was...awkward, waking up in the morning to, he could well say, a stranger. They grew fond of each other; they became best friends. Then they grew to love. Five years after they had married they finally had their first child. A son, named Shinomatou. For short, they called him Tou. It was almost perfect. In the first years of their marriage, Huyana constantly told Aikata she didn't have to mate with him, nor prepare everything for him like a servant. She could be content with him, or not.
The day she was to be released from the 3-day stay for recovery from birth, Huyana rushed home to escort her. He was coming back from a political talk. He didn't even remember turning when he saw his mate, huddled and protecting their son, floating in mid-air, screaming, while her soul was ripped from her body. She fell limply to the ground, as did the baby, who, too, was soulless. Huyana could see it all clearly. But this time, it was different. His mate had dog-ears? And cackling on the sidelines was Rakanu?
Huyana shot up out of the water gasping for air. He wiped the water from his eyes, trying desperately the fill his lungs. There seemed to be no air in the room. There was a soft knock on the door.
"Lord Huyana, is everything alright?" came his Chinese servant-maid's voice.
"Yes yes Xuingsha, everything's fine."
"Yes my lord." He hard her feet scuttle out the room. Huyana wrapped a towel around his waist and walked to the dressing room, kept separate because to the heat from the bath. He picked out a simple white kimono with yellow on the shoulders and hems. He combed out his hair and put it in a loose braid. He turned to comb out his tail, finding more tangles in it than ever. He winced when he pulled out the last knot and put the comb down. He walked out of the washroom to see Emiko lying on the bed. There was a crease between her eyebrows and her mouth was in a tight line. She was on her side, her back to the edge, and had one hand on her stomach. Forgetting his earlier feelings, he went over to her swiftly. He put his hand on her head. She jumped when he did so.
"Huyana, I-" she tried to sit up, but he laid her back down and put a finger to his lips. He untied her obi, put her on her back, and opened her haroi just enough to see her abdomen. Emiko opened her mouth to protest, but Huyana put his finger to her lips. He gently put his nose to her abs. Her muscles twitched at the gentle touch as he glided over her belly button and stopped just above it. Pressing his nose in very slightly, he inhaled carefully, making sure he missed nothing and analyzed every molecule. He processed the information for a second. It was sakura blossoms, but mixed with a tiny bit of spice and the scent of nothingness. The nothingness it something though, it was how he described the scent of ...baby. He put his nose back to her abdomen and inhaled again. He was certain. There were traces of baby in her scent. "Huyana, what in seven hells are you doing?" Emiko demanded. He looked up at her. Her hands were by her head and out of his way. Her hair was fanned out, her brows creased, and her lips pouty. Huyana gave a warm smile and closed the haroi. He leaned up and kissed her pouty lips.
"It seems our family is growing." He said with a hand on her stomach. Emiko looked at him as if she was looking at a crazed doctor with a large knife.
"Are you sure?" she asked, her expression unreadable. Huyana nodded.
"I don't know the gender, but it's definitely there." he said softly. He rubbed her abdomen slowly and gently, looking into her eyes with love that was returned just as fully. She sat up with a grimace and hugged him. Putting her head under his chin, she began to purr.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier. I guess I just, I don't know. I-"
"Shh. There's no need to explain. You're pregnant. It happens. I've got to warn you though, your instincts will be sharper...and your symptoms will be worse. Your body is getting used to pregnancy now, so it'll be harder this time." Emiko nodded. She was falling asleep fast. She had come into the room to wait out a bad, sudden stomachache. She was so transfixed on the pain that she didn't hear Huyana. When he touched her though, the pain went away. Huyana lay his now sleeping mate on the bed, stripping off her...boots? Huyana shook his head. When they came here, Emiko agreed to the dress code of kimonos, but she refused to leave the 'combat boots'. She stated she hated slippers and sandals. She said it was either her boots or nothing, she didn't care. Huyana thought she was joking, and wore the sandals. He didn't, he wore his own boots. But his didn't have as many buckles and straps. An: he has boots like Sesshomaru's.
Regardless, he slipped them off and pulled off her socks and lie down beside her. The only thing left to do was explain to everyone else. Aiko and Kurama would be happy. They could use someone else to play with instead of beating on each other. Shippou and Kilala were wonderful, but Shippou was more attached to Kurama and Kilala was the same with Aiko. They needed someone else to...break it up. He smirked, Inuyasha had told them to 'behave', but he never said what behave meant...
"WIND SCAR!" The waves of yellow energy crashed across the field, clearing trees, shrubs, and grass. It tossed the wielder's silver hair with its terrifying energy. An arrow whizzed by his ear. As it picked up speed to catch up with Tetsuiga attack, it began to glow blue with the powers and energy only a priestess is capable of having. It slammed into a barrier that protected the demon wearing a white baboon pelt. Inuyasha looked up to his flying friend. She was wearing a tight black suite that hugged her every curve. Pink plates adorned her knees, shoulders and mid-section. A poisonous mask covered the bottom half of her face, and her brown hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. In one hand was a giant boomerang that seemed feather light when she was holding it. He knew better; it was heavy, solid demon bone. She sat atop another important part of the team, the neko-bi youkai, Kilala. With its red eyes, the sabortooth looking feline glared intently at their foe, Naraku. With his own keen demon eyes, he saw the muscles in Sango's arm tense. "Sango, no!" he yelled. She was about the throw Hiraikotsu. Once already Naraku threw it back at her, hitting her squarely in the chest and knocking her out for a moment. Her brown eyes looked at him for a moment before she nodded.
"Inuyasha, do you think perhaps this is an illusion?" came a voice behind him. Miroku was normally a joking guy. But during battle, especially with Naraku, he became serious. He was gripping the blue prayer beads around his gloved right hand while his violet eyes stared at their still immobile foe. Inuyasha knew Miroku wanted nothing more then to use Naraku's own curse against him.
"No. I can smell him, slightly now that the barrier is weakened. But I can't sense his aura." Inuyasha confessed. A hand lie on his shoulder. He turned to see brown eyes looking at him swirling with worry and determination. Her raven hair cascaded down her back and over her shoulders; bangs over her forehead. He looked into the beautiful face of his mate.
"I don't understand," her gentle voice came "how is he making puppets if he has no jewels? And even if it were really him, he'd have a jewel anyway. And he's not attacking...if Naraku wanted to launch a surprise attack to wipe us out, which he would have done if it were truly him, then he would have done it. None of this is making sense."
"So you think this is a distraction Kagome?" Miroku asked gently, not taking his eyes from Naraku.
"I...I'm not sure."
'What the hell is he up to?' Inuyasha thought. 'The only thing he would need to distract us for is the jewel, but Kagome has it. Why waste his time?'
"Inuyasha, is that who I think it is?" Miroku asked. Inuyasha snapped out of his thoughts and looked to where he was looking. Sesshomaru came at his usual slow pace from a distant. It wasn't really a surprise, they were in the West. Then again, they were upwind. Why would Sesshomaru come to them now? He didn't want to sword anymore...
"Lookout!" Sango called from above. Inuyasha snapped out of his thoughts just in time to see a tentacle fly towards him. Inuyasha jumped out of the way, pulling Kagome with him. He landed safely about 10 yards away. He had just set Kagome down when his senses went crazy. Sesshomaru had come racing up from behind Naraku and decapitated him. Inuyasha huffed. 'Leave it to that bastard to make it seem like nothing.'
They watched as nothing but a wooden doll and a strand of hair fell to the ground, and something pink. To Inuyasha, it looked like a flower petal and a leaf. Buzzing erupted from nowhere. Symyoushou appeared and carried the items away. Inuyasha didn't try to go after them, they weren't important.
"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru called, stopping a few yards away "I see you already know Naraku is back."
"I figured that much." Inuyasha yelled. Yes, he and Sesshomaru aren't fighting, but that doesn't mean he has to like him.
"He is using the pure power of the flowers from Mount Fuji in the South."
"The south? You think Naraku is with Emiko and Huyana?" Sango asked, landing with Kilala.
"I knew it!" Shippou exclaimed. No one noticed when he scuttled over to the spot where Naraku was killed. "He's using fox magic! I know the smell anywhere!"
"The power of the flower, and fox magic..." Sesshomaru mumbled. He looked to the group. "You say Emiko and the fox prince is in the South?"
Inuyasha began to realize what he was saying. "Naraku is in the South. That way, he's in the land of the foxes as well as where Mount Fuji is. Either way, Emiko and Huyana are in danger!" He looked to his wide-eyed group "Get your stuff and move out, were going to the Southwest."
"I'm going with you." Sesshomaru said calmly. This concerns my niece and my future lands." Inuyasha was about to protest when Miroku tapped him over the head with his staff.
"We'll be glad to have your help Sesshomaru-sama. Arigatou." He said with a slight bow. He went back with Sango, Kagome, Kilala, and Shippou to pack. Sesshomaru stared after them then looked to Inuyasha.
"Yea, whatever." the stubborn hanyou said, "just stay the hell out my way.