InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Secrets ❯ Love Too Late ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer:

I do not own any of the characters from the InuYasha television series. I claim only characters that I have made using my own intellect.

 

 

Chapter 9

 

During the course of the night I am awoken for feedings, finally getting to sleep about one in the morning.

I wake to find the hut quiet and Kouga gone, my hormones still on high, keeping me from telling if he's in the hut or not, also the fact that his scent is on my bed, not helping either.

I sigh and decide to go into the babies' room to check on them, peeking through a crack in the door to see Kouga holding both of his sleeping children. He looks fascinated and almost confused at the sight of their small forms in his large arms.

Kagome wakes up, cooing up at him and a smile breaking out across her face at the sight of him.

Then she grabs at his armor and frowns, starting to cry lightly, which wakes up Jr., who starts to wail, both of the little ones showing the world that they are hungry and waiting for me to come in.

I chuckle lightly as Kouga looks on the verge of panic; I walk in nonchalantly, Kouga looking up at me with a guilty look.

“I-I didn't do anything. They just started crying,” Kouga sputters, trying to defend himself.

“I know you didn't. They're ready to be fed,” I reply, pulling down my shirt and making Kouga look away with a blush.

I take the twins and they both happily attach themselves to my nipples, suckling happily. Kouga gets up and lets me sit down, looking quite uncomfortable at the whole event.

“I . . . um . . . have to go find Inuyasha. I'll . . . uh . . . just let myself out,” Kouga sputters uncomfortably, leaving without letting me say goodbye.

I let out a sigh, having hoped that he would have tried to put up a fight for staying here and taking care of his children, but he did have other responsibilities so I am not as surprised as I thought that I would be.

Shippou then enters, rubbing his eyes as he looks down at his adoptive brother and sister.

“Morning, Mom,” Shippou says with a yawn, letting out a big stretch. “What's for breakfast?”

“Morning, Shippou. I'll make some bacon and eggs when I'm done feeding these two,” I reply, Shippou nodding as he goes to take a bath and get ready for the day.

I finish feeding, both of the little ones asleep as I run into my bedroom and dress into my hakama and haori, washing up with a sponge and some cool water.

Then I go about making breakfast, humming happily to myself as thoughts of my two beautiful children dance through the air.

I'll have to bring Souta over here to see his great niece and nephew soon. I'll send Inuyasha to do so, I think, knowing that Souta will love the idea of doting on my children.

I have a motherly smile on my face throughout breakfast, enjoying it with my adopted son and Kuno, laughing at Shippou's newest ventures. He had been growing regularly and was now a preteen and he had started hitting on village girls his own age. I know that when he reaches the age of Inuyasha he'll be a lady killer.

We finish up breakfast and I clean up, Kagome and Junior ready for another feeding by then. I feed them and then set them down in their cribs to sleep, eating and sleeping the majority of their days.

Kaede has told me to love this time while I had it, seeing as how demon children tend to grow quickly until they reach about the age of 5 because they have quite a bit of human heritage.

I just smile at the thought of having two five year olds running through the house in no time and go to set out on my porch, glad to have brought a baby monitor from the modern era.

Then a disgusting smell hits me, Kagome and Junior waking up and wailing in fear. Shippou comes up to the hut at a run, squealing the name Naraku.

“Go inside and watch Kagome and Kouga. I have to help the others,” I growl, grabbing my mother's bow and quiver of arrows, not having time to grab my Sais. “Also find my Sais and have Kuno bring them out to me.”

Then I'm off, following Naraku's scent to find Inuyasha, Miroku, Sesshomaru, and Kagura already fighting him, Kirara back with Sango and Ookami to protect them in their pregnant state.

“Why, Higame isn't it nice of you to come to the aid of your family. You will have the pleasure of dying with them,” Naraku hisses, his eyes glowing an eerie red.

“Not if I kill you first, Naraku,” I reply, putting an arrow into the bows notch and letting it fly, barely nicking Naraku's pelt as he dodges it. “Bastard.”

The fighting goes on like this for a while, frustration quivering within me at the fact that I don't have my Sais and can not guarantee a hit with the bow and arrows.

Then Kuno runs up with my Sais, me grabbing them with an evil grin, ready to show Naraku what true pain is.

Ignore the evil man, Mom. Kanna has some of the village women under control and they've surrounded our hut,” Kunno pleads, my mind going straight to the fact that my three children are in the hut.

“No! Shippou, Kagome, Kouga,” I scream, Inuyasha realizing what it means and acting even more ferocious towards Naraku.

Kirara runs up at that moment, Sango on her back and pulling me up with her, Ookami flying through the air with a look of pure anger and hate. We reach my hut just in time to see Shippou trying to defend it with all his might, my ears catching the sound of my wailing children.

“No, you shall not take my children,” I hiss, jumping off Kirara and landing right in front of Kanna, her mirror pointed towards me.

“Give me your soul,” Kanna says emotionlessly, my eyes red with anger.

I feel parts of my soul being dragged out, but I only smile, pushing more and more out of my body. I feel weak, but love the fact that the mirror is starting to feel strained.

Then it happens, the mirror shattering into a thousand pieces. My soul is returned as well as the souls of the village women, all of them fainting to the ground.

Then a stray soul comes from the mirror, entering into Kanna, her eyes going wide as she looks around in wonder.

“Where am I? What's going on,” she asks quietly in the voice of a child.

Then the weirdest thing happens. Kanna's body begins to age into that of a mature 20 year old.

“Her soul and heart were in the mirror the entire time. It kept her from aging and now she is the proper age to be Kagura's older sister,” Sango says quietly, her voice full of awe.

“You've been under Naraku's spell, Kanna. I've set you free and as repayment I want you to stay here and help Shippou protect my hut and children,” I say, Kanna looking at me in confusion and then nodding her head in a bow before I turn to Sango. “We need to get back to the fight, they may need my help.”

Sango and Ookami nod their heads as we ride back to the fight, looking at the damage. Sesshomaru is badly hurt and Ookami drags him onto Kirara. Miroku is sweating, but the least hurt. Inuyasha is unconscious in Kagura's arms, her own body bloody and about broken.

My eyes start to glow red with anger, my family and friends hurt and almost down for the count. I jump down from Kirara and settle on the ground, looking up at Naraku in anger.

“I see you're back for death, Higame,” Naraku chuckles, just pushing my anger further.

“That's what you think, Naraku, but you are oh, so wrong,” I growl, smiling evilly, which seems to put Naraku on the edge.

We start our fight, exchanging blow for blow, my body soon bloodied up. I fight with everything I have, not willing to leave my family motherless or to let the rest of my family die.

Then Kouga's suddenly in the fight, both him and I coming at Naraku from different sides and confusing him. Naraku gets angry and throws me into a tree, then turning on Kouga. I watch helplessly as Naraku runs one of his slimy tentacles right through Kouga's stomach, my heart feeling as if wretched from my very chest.

I scream no as Naraku tosses him a few feet away from me with an evil grin, I crawl over to Kouga and begin to cry as his breathing becomes labored as he takes his last few breaths.

“I-I'm sorry that I couldn't have been more helpful. I'll tell Kagome that you miss and love her, `Kay,” Kouga says, tears falling down my cheeks as he reaches up towards my cheek.

His hand never makes it though as he winces in pain, breaths out, and dies in my arms. I sob angrily, my anger rising to new levels as my body starts to burn, fire surrounding my entire body, my eyes glowing blood red.

I don't feel like a full demon, but empowered in a new way, as if my Sais are extensions of my own body and we feed off each other.

I look up at Naraku with a glare, his face filled with confusion as he can't tell what I am. I stand up and slowly start to walk towards him, my hands clenching my Sais.

“Now it's your turn to be run through,” I hiss, my voice not sounding as my own as I stop right in front of Naraku.

His tentacles come from all sides, only to leave sizzling from the fire surrounding my entire body.

“You think it will be that easy, Naraku? I am an extension of the two very people that you feared the most. I am an extension of the people you had to split up to try to save your sorry hid. I am your worst nightmare, Naraku,” I chuckle harshly, raising Sais in front of my body to form an X. “Hell Fire.”

I whisper the attack as I throw my arms to my sides, smiling as the flames surrounding my body rushes from it, surrounding Naraku's body. I watch, almost wanting to laugh as his bloody screams fill the air, his black form the only thing you can see as the flames consume him and the screaming stops.

All that's left of Naraku is a blackish-green goop, the last shards sitting in the middle. I walk through the goop, purifying it as I do and pick up the black shards, purifying those as well.

I put the shards and jewel together to form the full Shikon no Tama. I smile and return to Kouga's side, his lifeless body in the same position as I had left it. The tears return and I hold his head in my lap, tears falling on his face, leaving trails in the dirt on it.

Don't cry, Mom. Everything will be alright, Kuno says, nuzzling my face.

I smile a sad smile and hug onto Kuno, sobbing into his soft fur. The next thing I know, I'm being lifted into the air by Miroku and hoisted on Kirara's back, them wanting to take me back to my hut.

“No, I need to bury Kouga,” I hiss jumping down angrily and falling to my knees, not having realized how much energy I had used when killing Naraku.

“You need rest. Let us clean him up and get you when it is time for a proper burial,” Ookami croons, helping me back onto Kirara's back.

I nod my head and let them take me back to my hut, Ookami, Sango, and I stopping at the hot springs on the way to clean ourselves up. I enter my hut solemnly, taking Kagome and Kouga Jr. in my arms and feeding them, tears slipping down my cheeks as I look at how much they look like Kouga.

“All for some stupid jewel,” I whisper, more tears spilling down my cheeks as I set Kouga and Kagome in their cribs to sleep.

I go to my porch and sit in my rocking chair, looking down at my arm to see that my mating mark had disappeared, that with his death had come my freedom.

“It doesn't feel like freedom, though. It feels like pain,” I sniffle, putting my head in my hands and sobbing.

Then Sango comes up to me, slipping the jewel off my neck. I look up at her with a sad smile which she returns, figuring she is taking it to Kaede for protection. I watch her walk away and as soon as she's gone, I leave Shippou to watch the twins and walk into the forest to come to Kouga's grave, more tears coming.

“I thought I didn't love you, Kouga. I was so wrong. They say you don't know what you've got until it's gone, but I never even had you now did I,” I say, laying a yellow flower on top of his grave before leaving and returning to my hut.

I don't speak much as I eat supper with Kuno and Shippou or when I'm cleaning. I feed Kagome and Kouga before getting into my pajamas and lying down in bed.

I lay awake for hours, thinking of what to do. I don't find an answer and instead I bawl my eyes out, crying myself to sleep and not knowing what tomorrow holds.