InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Unexpeced Allies Part III: Trial of the Century ❯ The Birth ( Chapter 14 )

{Disclaimer: Anyone who's read this from chapter one of part one knows this already, so…}

Chapter Fourteen:

The Birth

Kagome fell quiet again as Sango and Miroku looked on. They could faintly hear a banging from the other end of the cell block, and some snarling and cursing, but couldn't focus on it. The weight of what Kagome said finally came down on them as Sango gasped.

"Did she just do like I think she just did?" she asked as she leaned against Miroku. Miroku nodded, not realizing that Sango was in a prime grope position at the moment.

Kagome closed her eyes and sighed. She waited, but for what she wasn't sure. Her stomach tightened in a light cramp suddenly and Kagome winced. She uncurled a little, thinking it was from the way she was laying. The cramp intensified instantly, sending shockwaves to every nerve in her body.

Kagome tensed as the cramp turned into full-blown pain, the intensity enough to knock her to the floor. She started to spasm, her body jerking violently against the futon and the wall behind her. She clamped her lips closed as the pain spread throughout her limbs, fighting the urge to scream as her head jerked back and forth in sudden snaps. Her shaking became convulsions as the pain reached her head, exploding behind her eyes. Kagome pressed her fists to her mouth to keep from screaming, praying the pain would stop soon.

"What do we do, Miroku?!" Sango screeched, shaking the shocked houshi.

"I don't kn-"

"Hold her!" Sesshoumaru thundered down the cell hall. "It's the only thing you can do!"

Miroku shrugged, but as he and Sango were approaching Kagome, she suddenly jerked up, falling off the futon to the floor with a thump. Kagome rolled to her side, her back to them as her seizures wracked her tiny body. Sango rushed to her and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, brushing Kagome's hair back from her face. Miroku hugged Kagome as well, his arms around her waist. Kagome shuddered against them, her eyes squeezed shut and her fists still pressed to her lips. She gasped suddenly and all was quiet in the cell.

+++++

Sesshoumaru tensed as Kagome's pants sounded through the prison. Shippou looked up at him, fear in his bottle green eyes.

"Is Kagome ok?" he whispered. Sesshoumaru said nothing as his eyes locked with Inuyasha's. The fear in the hanyou's eyes seemed to reflect his own. Sesshoumaru winced as Kagome's shriek pierced his ears, and a blinding white light flooded the prison.

+++++

Somewhere in Inuyasha's Forest, a figure clad in red and white suddenly shivered. She fell to her knees, glancing up at the ever-lightening sky. Understanding what was happening, she smiled.

"Good luck, Kagome. May you forever protect those that need you."

The figure shuddered again, then shattered into dust and ashes, scattering on the blowing winds.

+++++

Kagome shrieked as an incredible force of white ki poured from her body, throwing Sango and Miroku away from her to the cell walls. The ki shielded Kagome from view as it flowed from her body and down the hall to the prison entrance. Just as suddenly as it began it ended, shrinking back to the cell and into Kagome.

Sango and Miroku blinked repeatedly, trying to adjust to the dim torch inside the cell after the ki blast dimmed. They turned to Kagome and gasped.

Kagome was curled into a ball, her back still to them. The beautiful white kimono that was so much like Sesshoumaru's royal robes was gone, burned into oblivion by the ki. The kanji tattoo on her lower back glowed a bright red, then faded back to the original black of the ink. Sango's eyes flickered over the tattoo, then to the funny crescent-shaped scar on Kagome's left side. The only thing on her still whole were the black armor plates covering her chest and back.

"What happened to her clothes?" Sango breathed, her trembling hand covering her mouth.

"They were…purified," Miroku whispered as he stared at Kagome's nude form, too awestruck to come up with a lecherous comment.

"Purified?"

"The ki didn't recognize the clothes as a part of Kagome, so they were burned off," Miroku explained.

"Is that normal?" Sango asked.

"I don't know."

Kagome moaned, capturing their attention as she moved to her hands and knees on the hard stone floor. She shuddered as she stood, her back still to the others in the cell.

The armor changed to a semi-liquid ooze, flowing over her body as Kagome braced herself against the futon and the wall. The ooze covered her feet, then slowly hardened into a pair of black, calf-high boots. The ooze around her hips stiffened to a ankle-length skirt with splits that reached her upper thigh. The armor on her torso changed to more of a bustier, the straps thin with a lower back.

Kagome released her death-grip on the wall and stood straight. She flexed her hands experimentally and the short human nails extended to dainty talons. She used her index finger to slice two two-inch long gashes in her back between her shoulder blades. Sango and Miroku stepped closer as a small bit of white crept out of one of the gashes. After a moment it emerged, and that was when Sango realized that it was a small feather.

The feather extended from Kagome's back quickly, followed by millions more until a pair of wings stretched across the cell. Kagome shook her head as she turned around, the wings folding up behind her. Her hair glistened in the rising sunlight, jet black tresses streaked with wide silver locks. Kagome opened her eyes and sighed.

"That hurt like hell."

Sango and Miroku stared in awe as she stepped past them to the cell door, her eyes now a cerulean blue rimed with a silvery gray. She studied the door intently, tapping the bars with one of her claws. Black ki crackled, zapping her.

"Ow!" she gasped as she put the offended digit in her mouth. "That wasn't very nice."

"Kagome?" Sango whispered as she and Miroku stood beside her. Kagome's wings twitched in acknowledgement.

"Yes Sango?"

"The bars are youkai-proof."

"Magic-proof as well," Miroku pointed out. Kagome sighed. "I guess I'll just have to use brute force."

She reached out and sliced through the cell hinges. At first, nothing happened, then Kagome tapped the cell bars again. The door instantly fell over, landing on the floor with a loud clang. Kagome stepped out first, followed by Miroku and Sango as Kagome moved to the other side of the hall to Mira's cell. Mira gawked as Kagome sliced through the hinges on her cell and yanked it free. Kagome bowed as Mira stepped past the door.

"I'm glad to see you safe, Mira," Kagome replied. She looked up and smiled, revealing newly grown fangs.

Mira gasped. "Are you the Immortal that tried to save me so many years ago?"

Kagome nodded and Mira threw her arms around her. "Oh Kagome! I-I don't know what to-"

"Shhh," Kagome whispered as she gently untangled Mira's arms from her neck. "We will have to do this later. Do you know where our weapons are?"

Mira nodded and pointed to a nearby door. "Yes, in there."

Kagome nodded and proceeded down the hallway, freeing Shorin and Keni'Chi before stopping in front of Inuyasha's cell.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha whispered. Kagome smiled sweetly at him, her wings twitching behind her back.

"Ready to go, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha nodded dumbly as she sliced through the hinges on the bars. Kagome clicked her tongue disapprovingly at him as he stepped out the cell.

"You look horrid," she said as she touched his arm. Instantly the rough sackcloth gi transformed to his old firerat haori and hakamas. He stared at her wide-eyed as she turned around to Sesshoumaru's cell. Her eyes narrowed to icy blue slits as Shippou clutched the bars.

"Kagome!" he cried, reaching for her.

"Get down, Shippou," Kagome whispered as the air in front of her stomach started to glow. The tree on the front of the armor faded, leaving behind the small white bird. It spread its wings and turned its head as a small blue ball glowed from its belly. The ball left the armor to the air, feeding off the glowing air in front of Kagome as her hands encircled it. She suddenly raised her eyebrow and the ball shot toward the cell. It collided with the bars and melted them on impact.

Shippou jumped to Sesshoumaru's shoulder as Sesshoumaru stepped through the hole, avoiding the melting bits of metal that dripped from the cell bars. He stood before Kagome, taking in her appearance in barely veiled awe. Kagome's head lolled to the side, a small smile on her face with the points of her fangs curling on her lip.

"You look worse, koibito," Kagome purred as she touched his arm. His gi morphed into a black gi similar to his noble robes, with a black sash around his waist. White feathers adored the sash and a large white feather was embroidered on his back. Sesshoumaru stared at her quizzically.

"Miko, remember?" Kagome said in explanation as she turned to look at the others. She ran her fingertips through her streaked hair and sighed.

"Weapons, right?" she asked. Everyone nodded dumbly. Kagome smiled and gazed at the door at the end of the prison hallway. The door caved in on itself, then exploded in a force of white ki. Tiny bits rained down on the prisoners as Inuyasha sighed.

"There's no way Kenirous didn't hear that," he sighed.

Kagome shook her head. "He didn't. I put a sealing spell on this place before I escaped."

Sango and Miroku moved to the room to retrieve their weapons when something danced out of the supply room.

"Is that…my staff?" Miroku asked as the weapon in question bobbed in the air toward him. Following it were Keni'Chi's boots and gauntlet, Shorin's sai, Mira's katana and Sango's boomerang. The weapons floated to their respective owners as they gazed at Kagome in shock for the hundredth time this morning.

"You will need those," Kagome stated as she pointed to them. The others blinked out of their stupor and grabbed their weapons, only to be shocked again as the Tenseiga, the Tetsusaiga and the Reioseiga appeared in front of Kagome. She grabbed the Tenseiga and the Tetsusaiga first, handing the fangs to their owners. She then grabbed her own and tied the sheath to her waist. Unsheathing her fang and motioning for the inu brothers to do the same, she gazed up at the ceiling. Her eyes flashed blue before the ceiling above them exploded.

"There went the seal," Kagome sighed regretfully. She then turned to Kirara, who transformed and waited for Sango and Miroku to climb on. Kagome nodded and flew through the hole to the arena above, followed by Sesshoumaru and the others. They stood in a circle as guards rushed toward the sound, pouring from every tunnel and entryway to the arena. The group stood ready when Kenirous landed in the middle of them. Kagome and Sesshoumaru turned toward him as he snickered. He gasped when he finally noticed Kagome as her wings spread in annoyance.

"What's so funny, mutt?" Kagome growled, baring her fangs. Kenirous stared at her in disbelief.

"You can't be here! I slit your throat myself!"

"Care to try it again?" Kagome snarled as she dashed toward him, the Reiosegia transforming into the small fang. Sesshoumaru reached to pull her back and missed, grabbing air instead. He inwardly snarled at her back and turned around as the wave of inu youkai guards attacked.

----

SF: There! Happy Holidays!

Silver Fox: Shame on you SF! How could you hold up my laptop like this! I have a report due when I get back1 I'm not out of school like you!

SF: Oh yea, I forgot to tell you guys. I passed! {::does her happy dance::}

Silver Fox: Thank God too! All that pacing made me dizzy. Of course, she wouldn't have to do that if she would've studied like I told her to.

SF: Shut up! Oh, as for a recommendation, I again don't have one. I'm having trouble finding stories, and there's one in particular that I'm looking for. It's when Kagome, still traveling to the Feudal Era, comes across a slave trade in Modern Tokyo. She buys him and takes him home, realizing all the while that he looks a lot like Sesshoumaru. Anyway, If you know what I'm talking about, please help me find it. I can't remember the name. Next week I'll have four recommendations for you, I promise!

Preview to Chapter Fifteen: Ready For Love

Sesshoumaru finally looked at her, his gaze silencing her instantly.

"You do not have a choice."