InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sword of Supreme Conquest ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

They appeared amidst a glimmering flash of blue light, their feet silent as they landed atop the damp earth. The mystical glow faded into nothingness, and the magic along with it. The sounds and smells of the feudal era slowly made their way to them down the well. The scents of grass and fresh air were strong in their noses yet the atmosphere was not as vibrant or peaceful as they'd expected it to be. Above their heads, and the open mouth of the well, hung heavy, dark clouds that threatened rain. The forest had gone silent around them as well; the birds were not singing in the nearby trees and the crickets and other insects had halted their noisy symphony.

 

 

The ominous feeling in the air pressed heavily upon them the way the dark clouds from the heavens were pushing down upon the earth. The pair exchanged a worrisome glance. Never one to bow to the elements, or anything else that stood in his way, Inuyasha snorted and yanked the sword sheath from Kagome's pack.

 

 

“Isn't this piece of junk doing anything yet?”

 

 

He held the relic in front of them expectantly but it remained as silent as the grave. Not even a glimmer of the spiritual power it'd held before flickered through it now. With a tsk of disgust he shoved it into Kagome's waiting hands.

 

 

Her dark eyes stared hard at the tattered leather and worn ebony as she gently placed it back into her bag. She took one last lingering glance before sealing it shut and silently questioned if she'd actually sensed any spiritual power emanating from it in her room. Maybe she'd wanted it to be real so bad she'd imagined she felt something?

 

 

It took more time than expected for the pair to climb the vine laden walls of the well. Inuyasha made a point to climb directly behind Kagome in case she should slip or fall, but she was steady on her own two feet despite her “delicate condition.” And while his chivalrous gesture was appreciated and endearing, it came with a price.

 

 

Patience was not one of Inuyasha's strong suits and after several loud, impatient sighs, a snide comment about how she'd let herself go (athletically of course), and numerous muttered comments to the effect of “If was still a hanyou we'd already be out of this damn well, done the mission and on the way home” she was ready to disembowel him, mission be damned.

 

 

First over the lip of the well, Kagome took a moment to gaze around at their surroundings while she waited for Inuyasha to join her. The clouds had looked dark from the bottom of the well, but now standing in the middle of the field she saw how they seemed to stretch for miles in every direction with no end in sight. Not even a hint of sunlight broke through the dark haze and already she could smell rain on the air. Unless the wanted to get soaking wet, they would have to find some shelter and fast.

 

 

“Well those look promising,” Inuyasha snorted before casting a resentful look at the gloomy skies.

 

 

Kagome's normally radiant features settled into a frown and she slowly spun in a circle, surveying the area around them. “Do you think it worked?” she asked quietly as if she were afraid to break the sense of stillness hanging over the landscape. “How are we supposed to know what time period we're in?”

 

 

She wondered this last part aloud, and stopped to glance at Inuyasha expectantly knowing full well that he wouldn't know the answer any more than she did. He'd had his back to her but turned at her question, his face surprisingly impassive.

 

 

Shoving his hands into the sleeves of his red haori he tilted his head in the general direction of Kaede's village. “Think old hag's still kickin' around?” he joked.

 

 

Kagome shot him a disapproving frown but soon found herself smiling. No matter how often he bad talked the old miko, she was his rock. Whenever something important happened or he was in trouble he always found his way back to her, kind of like a dog returning to his master. The mental image of Inuyasha playing pet dog to Kaede brought a fit of unstoppable giggles bubbling up until they spilled out uncontrollably.

 

 

“What the heck're you laughin' at?” Inuyasha demanded tersely, but she waved him off with a dismissive flip of her hand and stepped up to walk beside him. Her eyes surveyed the road that led to the village as the walked; it appeared overgrown and less travelled than she remembered yet her mind was too preoccupied with thoughts of what was to come to dwell on it overmuch.

 

 

The answers to many of her questions of course depended entirely upon what time period they'd landed in. The flurry of scenarios running through her mind slowed her footsteps until she was walking at a snail's pace. Her arms were crossed thoughtfully in front of her chest and her eyes remained focused on the ground lost in thought.

 

 

“Hey! Hurry up Kagome!”

 

 

Kagome's eyes snapped up and it was only then that she noticed how far she'd fallen behind. Inuyasha was waiting for her on the path ahead, his hands positioned impatiently on his hips. He's changed so much, she thought bemused. The old Inuyasha would've kept walking three city blocks ahead of her all the while shouting over his shoulder for her to hurry up.

 

 

“Hey thanks for waiting!” she called out when she reached his side. She shot him an appreciative smile and linked her arm with his so she wouldn't fall behind again.

 

 

“Keh,” came his usual indecisive response. Apparently to him it was no big deal.

 

 

With a smile Kagome rubbed her stomach absently in small concentric circles. It wouldn't be long now. She could already feel that the baby had dropped. Just a few more weeks were left, that was if her calculations were correct. Feeling Inuyasha's eyes on her, she glanced his way and noticed how his dark gaze lingered on the bulge of her stomach. Realizing he'd been caught staring he looked away stiffly and kept his eyes stubbornly glued to the horizon.

 

 

It wasn't long before they crested the last rolling hill before the village. At its peak they stopped suddenly, their feet frozen mid-step. The village was gone. The wind picked up strength tossing their hair around them in billowing curtains of ebony. In stunned silence two pairs of eyes, one chestnut the other mocha, stared at the empty valley below.

 

 

Kaede's village had long since been abandoned or destroyed. Weeds and too-tall grass choked what'd once been the main thoroughfare. The buildings had been reclaimed by the earth and were now one with the landscape. All that remained were the square and rectangular outlines in the ground of where they'd once been, a haunting reminder of the community that no longer existed.

 

 

Inuyasha dropped his arm from Kagome's grasp and took a couple of tentative steps forward. She watched him steadily, her eyes filled with sympathy. Neither of them had really considered the possibility that Kaede would be dead. She seemed so ancient that they'd somehow convinced themselves she would go on forever.

 

 

The squared look of Inuyasha's shoulders and his rigid stance told her exactly what was going on inside his head. No doubt he was fighting for control against the tumult of emotions waging war inside his heart. Though she would never say so aloud, he and Sesshomaru were very much alike in that way.

 

 

“Inuyasha…I'm sorry,” she whispered gently. Her voice was carried to him by the wind and for a long while he said nothing. He simply stared darkly at the remains of the village below. When he was finally able to tear his gaze away he `keh'ed and stuff his hands into his sleeves.

 

 

“Whatever, it's not like it matters. No one's going to miss that old hag anyways. All she ever did was nag. Has that stupid sheath done anything yet?” he demanded, changing the subject to hide the tiny waver that'd crept into his voice.

 

 

Kagome shot him a sad smile before she pulled the pack off her shoulder once more and removed the sheath from inside. It looked the same - worn, dull, and useless.

 

 

“This is such a waste of time! What does that mutt expect us to do? There's no way I'm dragging my ass all over the countryside to do his dirty work for him! Let's go! We're going home.”

 

 

“No! We can't go back yet!” Kagome shook her head and glanced up at him imploringly. “We have to stay!”

 

 

“Dammit Kagome! Don't be such an idiot! We have no idea where this sword is, you're in no condition to be running around and on top of all of that we still have no idea when in time we even are! I can't believe I even went along with this stupid plan to begin with! We're going home and that's final!” With a growl he grabbed hold of her arm and jerked her along the road and back towards the well.

 

“NO!” Kagome's shriek echoed across the empty valley and sent Inuyasha's eyebrows skyrocketing upwards. “We're going to find the sword and we're going to destroy it because we have to. You can go home if you want but I don't have that luxury. I can't leave here until that sword's been destroyed! My life depends on it or haven't you figured that out yet?”

 

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and gave her arm another rough tug. “Don't be ridiculous! Sesshomaru's life depends on you finding that sword, not yours,” he shot back before he could stop himself. He instantly regretted his words and released her arm, but the damage had already been done.

 

 

“Don't you get it?!” Kagome screamed at him with tears of frustration in her eyes. “Sesshomaru IS my life! This baby IS my life! If I don't do this I'll lose both of them.” With a shriek of frustration she shot him a murderous glare, turned heel and stormed off towards the forest.

 

 

Inuyasha watched her stomp away and let her get a good distance ahead before he decided to follow. She was stubborn and a complete pain in the ass, but she was his Kagome. She just wouldn't be the same if she were any other way. He'd joined this ridiculous mission because he knew that someone needed to take care of her. He protected her not for Sesshomaru's sake, or anyone else's, but for his own. Sesshomaru may be her life but she was his and he didn't intend to let anything happen to her.

 

 

After a bit of searching he finally found her hidden amongst the trees. The rain drops had begun to trickle through the foliage and the air was already heavy with humidity. He wrinkled his nose as a particularly large drop landed atop it and trickled off the end. Drawing closer, he sensed almost instantly that something was amiss.

Her body was slumped heavily against a large maple tree and her back heaved with every breath. Placing his hands over her shoulders he called out her name as he turned her around. She immediately collapsed heavily into his arms; her entire body trembled beneath his touch.

 

 

“Kagome! What is it? What's wrong?” His voice wavered with anxiety and his eyes did a hasty scan for injuries. The tiny rivulet of blood making its way down her leg filled him with an overwhelming sense of foreboding. Shit! Why NOW?!

 

 

Kagome grabbed hold of the loose fabric of his haori and clung to it so tightly her knuckles turned white. “Inuyasha…this can't be happening now!” Her voice wavered unsteadily and when she looked up into his dark eyes he could see tears brimming along their edges.

 

 

Not knowing what else to do, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. Would it be safe for them to go back through the well? What if something happened to her or the child before they could get there? What if she died giving birth in this place with no one but him to help? Inuyasha felt his fear spike sharply as he held her, trembling form against his chest a stark reminder of just how serious the situation was.

 

 

“Inuyasha,” her voice came out small and faint. “I'm so scared.”

 

 

He held her tighter and planted a soft kiss against her dark mane of damp hair. The rain started to beat down hard against the trees, slapping loudly against their leaves in a steady rhythm. Taking hold of her arm, he wrapped his other around her waist for support and forced her to walk slowly by his side.

 

 

“Come on, let's go find some place dry,” he suggested with as much authority as he could muster while leading her further into the woods. While they moved one slow step at a time Inuyasha prayed to the gods for all the help and luck they were willing to dish out.

 

 

 

----------------------------

 

 

 

Kagome cried out as another wave of pain tore mercilessly across her belly. She felt as if she was being literally ripped in half and nothing could stop the screams torn from her throat. She could already taste the blood in the back of her mouth but she didn't care. All she could focus on was the pain, the blinding, pounding, aching pain that pulsed outward from her center to consume her body, wave after wave. The worst of it was that she was completely helpless to do anything about it.

 

 

Inuyasha's eyes grew wide as he eased Kagome against the far wall of the decrepit hut. He'd only just managed to see the rotting shingles of the dilapidated structure peeking out from behind a cluster of tree branches. And though it was filthy and barely any protection at all from the elements it was at least somewhat dry inside and the best he could do under the circumstances.

 

 

He cringed as another pained groan emanated from the helpless girl on the floor. He'd never seen a woman in labour before and needless to say, from what he'd seen so far, it wasn't something he wanted to remember. Already his hands were shaking so badly he had to ball them into fists at his side to hide the tremors. What the hell was he going to do? He didn't know the first thing about helping a woman in this kind of condition and if anything were to happen…if she died here in this place…he would never forgive himself.

 

 

Kagome could hear the rain pounding hard against the roof and thanked the gods that while the rest of the shelter appeared ready to fall at any moment, at least the roof was still somewhat in tact. As the contraction subsided she began to breathe easier. Grabbing hold of Inuyasha's haori she pulled him close and whispered the only thing that was pressing on her mind apart from the pain.

 

 

“Please…go find Sesshomaru. He can't miss this,” she explained and winced as another contraction forced her to double over. It was gone within a second though and she looked up into his fear stricken eyes and pleaded with him silently to obey her. Finally he nodded his head, sending the droplets of rainwater still beading down his face to the floor.

 

 

“Okay…I'll go…but try to keep quiet. There could be a ton of demons around here and you won't have me to protect you.” Leaving her alone was foolish, stupid and downright reckless, but if it was his first child being born, he'd want to be there too and if bringing Sesshomaru would give her some comfort then it was what he had to do.

 

 

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him while fighting off another contraction. “Thanks. I'll try to remember that.” She could tell he didn't want to leave her alone, but reluctant as he was, he must've understood how important it was for her to have Sesshomaru there because he eventually made for the door.

 

 

He hesitated for a moment and quickly returned to her side, depositing her knapsack containing the sword sheath, her bow and its quiver of arrows onto the floor next to her. “If anything happens use these. I'll try to be back as soon as I can.”

 

 

Kagome nodded silently at his instructions, and breathed quickly in and out the way her Mom had shown her. Surprisingly it seemed to be working, until the next contraction hit of course. She held onto her scream as long as possible, but once Inuyasha's red form disappeared from the doorway she let it out, collapsing exhausted onto her side.

 

 

Knowing she had to focus, she dug her nails into the rotting wooden floorboards and forced herself to count. She had to count to see how much time passed between each contraction. It was the only way she could figure out what stage of labour she was in. One, two, three, breathe, four, five, six, breathe - the steady rhythm kept her going.

 

 

It felt as if Inuyasha had been gone for days but she knew from her counting it'd barely been a half hour. She had to give him time. It would be hours before any baby arrived but she was terrified to go through it alone. With every contraction that racked her body she wished she hadn't sent him away but there was nothing that could be done about it now.

 

 

Seeing her bow at her side brought her small peace of mind. If the smell of her blood attracted a demon or wolf she could at least use it to defend herself. But what easy prey she would be for them in her current state - a body racked with pain, half conscious and barely able to move. Could I even put up a decent fight? she wondered.

 

 

When the ground suddenly jolted and shook beneath her palms, she thought for an instant that perhaps she'd imagined it, or maybe that it was just an extra loud boom of thunder. As it sound got closer, louder, and more frequent though, she quickly realized it was something much more sinister. Clenching her jaw shut tight against another scream, she kept her eyes glued to the door, waiting to see if the demon outside would show itself. She held her breath as she waited and slowly reached for the bow and arrows at her side.

 

 

Not taking her eyes from the narrow door, she allowed her fingers to nock an arrow in the bow and pulled it taught. The wood of the arrow's shaft clacked noisily against the wooden handle in response to her body's trembles both from pain and fear. She waited patiently for the demon outside to make his move. For all she knew he was already in the process of swiping his claws through the air to demolish the hut and her along with it.

 

 

Inuyasha…please be okay! she prayed, fervently wishing that whatever it was that was outside hadn't gotten a hold of him first.

 

 

Kagome let out a startled gasp when the large, blinking, yellow eye of a disgustingly hideous ogre demon appeared in the doorway. Apparently he'd gotten down on all fours to peer inside. Ogre demons weren't exactly known for their intelligence. With a dark smile Kagome pulled her bow taught and aimed it directly at the giant yellow orb.

 

 

“Like what you see?” she demanded bitterly before releasing her arrow in a flash of brilliant pink light. She closed her eyes and waited for the demon's attack, but the sounds of his blood curdling howls followed by a heavy silence told her he'd been purified. She was safe for now.

 

 

Looks like I've still got it! she congratulated herself with a smile. Her victory was short lived however. Her bow went clattering to the floor as a particularly strong contraction overwhelmed her. It travelled from her core to pulse through every muscle and joint in a wave of white hot pain. When it subsided she wiped the tiny droplets of sweat off her brow with the back of her hand and relaxed once more against the wall with her chest heaving.

 

 

Inuyasha, where are you? she pleaded and was disturbed to find that even the voice inside her head had begun to sound like a whimper. Feeling something wet against her thighs she glanced down at the dark stain of blood steadily seeping into the wooden floorboards. Almost instantaneously her head felt light and dizzy. Ever so slowly her eyelids became heavier and heavier and she found it increasingly hard to keep them open, much less focused.

 

 

Just before succumbing to the blissful void her eyes caught sight of a new figure standing boldly the doorway. Backlit by a large bolt of lightning she saw the dark silhouette of a body she knew nearly as well as her own. A weak smile broke across her lips.

 

 

“Sesshomaru! I was beginning to worry…I thought you wouldn't make it in time.” The smile slowly slipped from her lips and her brows drew together with confusion. Her eyes wavered unfocused on the sword he drew from his hip.

 

 

“Sesshomaru? What are you-?”

 

 

The rest of her words died on her lips. With a soft gasp her eyes slipped shut and her body slumped unconscious to the floor.