InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Rescue Me ❯ The Third Prologue ( Prologue )

Hopefully the final prologue. (dizzy) This entire thing was written between nine and eleven pm on a Sunday night, so it might have a few mistakes in it. (sweat drop) I hope you enjoy.

 

Oh, by the way; both versions of this chapter are the same on Media Miner and FanFiction.

 

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does. I'm only borrowing her characters and twisting their lives for my own amusement.

 

Summary: Kagome is the daughter of a ruthless pirate who rapes, pillages and kills. Her life is turned upside down when her father's ship sinks. She meets the natives of the island that they washed up on. Dog demons. But it is the half-demon that catches her eye.

 

Rescue Me

 

The Third Prologue

 

Kikyo's belly slowly swelled over the coming months. She found herself out above more often, sitting behind the Captain while he was on deck. Her eyes were dark; empty. Ever since she'd been dragged aboard the ship, her eyes had been slowly dimming more and more each day.

 

She hadn't been abused in that way since before the day the half-breed was tossed overboard, but the beatings still continued - across the legs, arms, and face. Her once pale, unblemished skin was marred with bruises and scars, some old and some fresh. It was red and blistered from over-exposure to the sun. The beautiful Lady Kikyo was no more.

 

She lost track of how many moons she'd been aboard the ship. On one of the nights before the night when there was no moon, she was attempting to sleep in her cell. All was quiet except the pained whimpers of a fifteen-year-old girl huddled in the corner who had received a beating earlier. Kikyo felt uncomfortable - something common recently. She was just drifting off to sleep when something happened.

 

Her womb gave a sharp contraction. She bolted to a sitting position with a whimper. She was certain that she hadn't imagined it, but there was no pain. Breathing out a sigh, she laid back down and attempted to sleep. Her limbs were beginning to get heavy and she allowed the gentle rocking of the ship lull her into a relaxed state.

 

Her abdomen gave another painful clench. She sat upright, breathing deeply. The false contractions had been bothering her for a while now; she knew how to make them pass. But these ones felt different. Panic clutched at her throat as the thought hit her. This was it. Her babe was coming, and coming now!

 

She was breathing deeply, leaning up against the wall of the cell. Every so often her belly would give a painful clench, causing her to screw up her eyes and bite the insides of her cheeks to prevent from making any sounds. Her hands clutched at the sides of her old slip of a garment, relaxing and tensing with her contractions.

 

Soon, the sun had risen. By then, it was impossible to contain the small whimpers that she had been withholding all night. On a particularly bad one, she had even managed to wake the other girl in the cell.

 

“What's wrong?” The younger girl snapped to awareness. “What's wrong, Kikyo?”

 

“Please…” Kikyo reached out for the girl, who did not hesitate in taking her hand. The two had become almost like sisters in their short time together, despite the circumstances under which they met. The young girl's eyes widened as Kikyo's hand clenched around her own, crushing it.

 

“Kikyo?” She murmured. “Is the babe coming, Kikyo?”

 

“Y-yes!” Kikyo managed to shrill out as another contraction hit. They were getting closer together now. “Kaede, please…”

 

The girl's attention snapped to Kikyo's belly. “I need both my hands Kikyo…” She murmured, gently shaking the gasping woman's hands from her grip. She lightly placed one of her hands flat against Kikyo's abdomen and waited, placing the other one on Kikyo's forehead, wiping her hair away from her forehead. “Don't worry, I know what I'm doing.” She assured Kikyo. “I'm only young, but I've done this before.”

 

Kikyo whimpered as another contraction wracked her body. Kaede counted under her breath, pushing down on Kikyo's belly until it was over. She muttered to herself, helping Kikyo shift to lie down on the floor. Almost immediately, Kikyo pushed herself up again. “No!” She cried out. “It hurts!”

 

“You have to lie down.” Kaede directed Kikyo to the ground again, only to have the woman push herself up again.

 

“It hurts too much!”

 

“No, Kikyo.” Kaede said forcefully, yet kindly. “That's a good pain. The more it hurts now the sooner it'll be over with.”

 

“No!” Kikyo whimpered.

 

“What the hell is going on in there?!” A pounding sounded outside the door.

 

Kaede sent an irritated glare to the pirate who opened the door to step in. “I think Kikyo's in labour. The babe might be coming.” The pirate's face paled. “If you can, can you get me some clean towels and some warm water? Please?” She practically begged. The pirate nodded numbly and scurried away.

 

Kaede used her old, torn dress to pat down Kikyo's forehead. Kikyo was only little; she was in for a long labour. Kaede had seen women like Kikyo give birth before; she would need lots of warmth, and the best way to provide that was in a tub of warm water - and that also made the deliveries a lot easier. But of course, Bankotsu would never allow that, so she had to make do.

 

Soon enough, the bucket of steaming water and fresh towels arrived. The water was too hot to use yet, so Kaede just had the pirates who brought it put it nearby, within her arm's reach. By now she was aware of the congregation of pirates that were outside, almost positive that Captain Bankotsu was not among them. Thankfully.

 

Kaede helped Kikyo strip off her dirty slip, and lay her down, naked, on the ground, using the dirty clothing to cushion her head. Kikyo gave a sharp cry and blindly reached for Kaede's offered hand as her other one rested on Kikyo's stomach, ignoring the crushing pain and silently counting.

 

“You're doing good.” Kaede assured her, giving her hand a little squeeze of her own. “You're doing really good, Kikyo. Just relax. Breathe.”

 

“Easy for you to say!” Kikyo hissed scathingly. “You're not the one having a frigging babe!”

 

Kaede patiently ignored Kikyo's outburst, still counting. She finally felt the stomach muscles relax and felt Kikyo's hold loosen on her hand. She flexed her fingers a little to regain feeling. She absently grabbed one of the towels and began to dab Kikyo's forehead with it.

 

OoOoOoOoOoO

 

The labour continued on through the day, and into the night. Kaede was staring out the window - it was the new moon tonight - with an anxious expression. Kikyo was getting weaker by the second, and her waters hadn't even broken yet. The bucket of warm water had since cooled and Kaede had sent for another one - it was yet to arrive.

 

“What's happening?!” Kikyo yelped, panicked. Kaede's attention snapped back to the woman, and she grinned despite herself. “What? What are you looking like that for? Am I dying? Are you happy that I'm gonna die?”

 

“Calm down, Kikyo.” Kaede soothed her. “You're not dying. Your waters broke; this is normal.” She patted her head with the towel again. “Damnit,” she growled, “where is that hot water?”

 

As if on cue, the door swung open to reveal one of the kitchen women, carrying a bucket full of hot water in one hand and a fresh load of towels under her other arm. She eyed Kikyo with concern as she set it down and turned to Kaede. “Is there something I can do?” She asked with a thick accent. Neither Kikyo nor Kaede could tell where it was from.

 

“Come hold her hand and just wipe her forehead.” Kaede shuffled away, grateful for the woman's offer. She was getting cramped sitting in the same position all day - Kikyo hadn't let her move. The woman took Kaede's place and whispered reassuring words to Kikyo, but they fell on deaf ears; Kikyo was too busy looking at Kaede with trust and fear in her eyes.

 

Kaede dipped one of the towels in the hot water and squeezed the excess out before folding it. The heat from the water stayed embedded in the fluffy material as it was folded into a sling and wrapped around Kikyo's belly. The heat relaxed her muscles and brought on a strong contraction, causing Kikyo to scream. The kitchen woman kept a firm grip in Kikyo's hand as she crushed it in her pain. She didn't change her expression as she kept patting down Kikyo's forehead.

 

Kaede noticed a shift in Kikyo's belly. This was it. The babe was on it's way.

 

“Can you sit up a little bit, Kikyo?” Kaede asked soothingly. “It'll make it hurt less.”

 

“No I cannot sit up!” Kikyo roared with another contraction. The kitchen woman slipped in behind Kikyo, lifting her torso to lean against her, but never breaking the hand-to-hand contact. Kaede nodded to the woman before purposefully spreading Kikyo's legs. The birth canal was as ready as it was ever going to be. Kikyo tried to snap her legs shut, but Kaede forced them open again. “How is your babe going to be born if your legs are crossed? He needs to come out somehow.”

 

“She.” Kikyo corrected. “My babe is a she.”

 

“How d'you know that, sweetie?” The kitchen woman asked quietly, dabbing Kikyo's forehead patiently.

 

“You remember that hanyou?” Kikyo saw the woman nod. “He told me.”

 

“Aye, and he was right about Asuka too.” The woman confessed. “So a girl babe it is.”

 

“Ye-” Kikyo was cut off in a scream, sitting up a little more. Her stomach muscles were tensed in another powerful contraction. Kaede held Kikyo's legs wide open, knowing this was it.

 

“I see the head!”

 

Kikyo slumped back for about ten seconds before another contraction ran through her. Kaede took the now-cold blanket from her body and wet it down with the warm water again, repeating the process of wringing it out, folding it, and wrapping it around Kikyo's belly. This brought on another contraction that shook Kikyo's body with it's sheer force. She gave a strangled cry as the baby's head was finally expelled from her body; now she just had to finish the delivery.

 

“Come on, Kikyo.” Kaede encouraged, getting a good grip - or as good as she could get - on the babe's head. “Just a few more and she'll be out and it'll all be over.”

 

“I can't!” Kikyo sobbed in exhaustion. “I can't do it!”

 

“Yes you can!” Kaede encouraged. “Come on, just one more push. Just give me one more!” Kikyo cried out again as the babe's shoulders slipped out. Kaede hooked her hands under the shoulders and braced herself. “Last one, sweetie.”

 

“You already said that!” Kikyo wailed.

 

“This is it, I promise.” Kaede reassured her. “I'll pull while you push. It'll all be over before you know it.” She promised.

 

Kikyo gave one last cry as she pushed. Kaede gently tugged on the child, and she slipped out of her mother with relative ease. Kikyo slumped back, exhausted and feeling physically hollow for the first time in months. All was silent for a few seconds as Kaede cleared out the babe's mouth.

 

A shrill cry pervaded the room. Kikyo bolted up into a sitting position. Kaede smiled as she wrapped the squalling infant in a spare towel and laid her in her mother's arms. “A beautiful baby girl.” She murmured as she relinquished the child.

 

Kikyo's eyes watered as she sniffled, looking upon her daughter for the first time. Everything seemed worth it. All the physical and mental anguish she'd suffered over the past moons all made sense. All the hurt melted away as she looked upon the red-faced babe.

 

The afterbirth was over and done with before any of them blinked an eye. Kaede was confined to the cell, so she couldn't leave; but the kitchen woman had left with a promise of a knife to cut the cord. Kaede sat on the other side of the room as she watched Kikyo coo over her daughter, who had now settled down and was sleeping.

 

“Thank you.” Kikyo murmured to Kaede. “For everything. I don't know how I would've done it without you.”

 

“Have you a name for the infant?” Kaede blurted out despite herself. She couldn't help it. Her curiosity was almost killing her. Kikyo peered at the child's face for a moment before finally speaking.

 

“Kagome.” She finally stated strongly. “Her name is Kagome.”

 

“Kagome…” Kaede tested it on her own tongue. “A fine name, indeed.”

 

(exhausted sigh) Well, there we have it! Please don't hesitate to review! Anything is good. Questions or comments are welcome!

 

With love;

 

Sparkly Faerie.