Disclaimer: I do not own Inu Yasha, or whatever else Rumiko Takahashi owns. If I did, I would be living in Japan, and be a happy manga creator.
A/N: Please enjoy the first chapter of my new story!
CHAPTER 1: the kidnapping
"Sesshoumaru-sama! Rin is hungry! Is there a stream nearby?" Rin skipped toward Sesshoumaru, who had been walking in front of herself and Jaken. Immediately, Sesshoumaru stopped in his tracks. Just then, a gust of wind passed through the trees, fluttering their clothes and hair. After about five seconds, he resumed his walk, but on a new course toward the nearest source of water. Rin had been watching Sesshoumaru search for the scent of the river, smiling, pleased that he was indulging her. She let him know this through a short little laugh, and then skipped on ahead. After living with him for 6 years, the 13-year old had learned that Sesshoumaru had a different way of showing that he cared about anything. It was just as well; she was used to it by now. He was all she really remembered now; the visions of her deceased parents faded more and more as the years passed.
Sesshoumaru watched Rin as she skipped on ahead. She had truly grown from the time that she started traveling with himself and Jaken. In fact, it was about time for her to fully mature into a woman. He, of course, had been thinking about this event happening since the day she began to follow him. What was he going to do? Although he could very well explain things to her about her body, it would be much less embarrassing for him to get her some kind of a human nurse or mentor to help her through at least the first few awkward stages. He ran through different options. One: he could drop her off at a village for a few months.
'No, that won't work… First of all, who would want to take in a child from a youkai? They might think she is MY child, and persecute her as a hanyou or possibly kill her. I can't trust the average brainless human..' The next option would be to kidnap a woman. 'She has to be refined enough- I can't pick up just any woman off the street. And the more refined humans are, the more fearful they are of youkai. I wouldn't be able to convince a woman like that to care for Rin..' By now, they had approached the river. Sesshoumaru sat on a large boulder to think, while Rin began to wade in the shallow parts.
"Be careful, Rin, or you'll get washed away by the current! And Lord Sesshoumaru won't think kindly of you if you make a careless mistake like allowing yourself to get taken away by the river!" Jaken called, as he stood on the riverbed.
"Hai, Jaken-sama!" she said as she waved to him from further in the river. She also turned to wave at Sesshoumaru, but he was staring elsewhere, upstream. Suddenly he stood up.
"Jaken," he said, without looking at the little minion, "after she eats, take Rin back to the castle."
"Yes, Lord Sesshou-," he began to reply, but before he could finish, the taiyoukai was gone. "-maru…," Jaken finished to himself. 'I wonder where he is going?' he thought to himself. Usually Jaken could guess where his master was headed, but this time it was so random. He brushed it off, thinking that Sesshoumaru just had to take care of some youkai that might threaten or scare Rin later.
Well, Jaken was partially right- the reason Sesshoumaru left did indeed have something to do with Rin. And, well, a hanyou. Sesshoumaru finally came to a reasonable decision. He headed toward the village where his half brother would most likely be. Kagome, he decided, would be the perfect mentor for Rin. Not only was she refined enough- the girl seemed able to read, write, and put up a decent fight against her enemies- but she also would not have the same degree of aversion to youkai as the average townswoman. Yes, Kagome was the best choice.
It had been a few years since Naraku completed the Shikon no Tama… and surprisingly, everyone in their group had survived it. Kouga was a little bit slower now, which was good for Ginta and Hakkaku, but bad on Kouga's ego. Kohaku was also, surprisingly, still living. Kikyou had sustained fatal wounds from Naraku's shouki when she was pushed off the cliff near Mt. Hakurei, but Kikyou's faithful shinidama chuu brought Kagome to the dying miko. Having had compassion on Kikyou (although, it was more like the fact that she couldn't bring herself to face Inu Yasha had she refused), Kagome healed her spiritual ancestor. Surprisingly, instead of draining her holy powers, Kagome was actually strengthened by this action. The same went for Kikyou. She began to search for Naraku once more, waiting for the completion of the Shikon no Tama in order to make her move.
Kohaku, who had finally regained his memory and was able to come to grips with it, met up with Kikyou. The two traveled together for a short while before the boy told the dead miko that he approved of her tactics- to use the completed jewel in order to purify Naraku. After telling her that he was prepared to die, Kikyou removed his shard. Surprisingly, his body remained intact, and his heart still beat in his chest. Apparently, his body was able to heal itself while the shard sustained his life. Everyone was shocked, including Naraku, that Kohaku's life was sustained when Kikyou pulled out the shard from his back. But, of course, no one was more relieved than Kohaku himself. He returned to Sango and the others, and after Kagome reported that there was no trace of the Shikon no Tama on his body, the rest of the group was able to bring themselves to fully trust the young taijiya.
Kikyou did as she had promised, and purified Naraku upon his completion of the Shikon no Tama. She didn't make the same mistake as she had at Mt. Hakurei, where she demanded that he explain his intentions. No, even though she was incredibly powerful, she knew that a surprise attack was necessary. The details of Naraku's death are not as important as the fact that Kikyou finally had revenge on Naraku for his evil deeds against herself and Inu Yasha. She was surprised to find that after successfully vanquishing this hanyou-almost-turned-youkai, she was free of the hatred which drove her existence. Upon the death of Naraku, Kikyou's body- along with the shikon no Tama- dissolved into mist. The dead miko's journey on this world had finally come to completion.
Of course, this wasn't so painless to Inu Yasha, who still had strong ties to Kikyou. However, he also realized that Kagome was now the most important thing to him, and understood that fate had given him a second chance with the soul that he was meant to be with for eternity. Miroku's kazaana was sealed, and he did what he had promised Sango- they married the next month- and she was now expecting a baby. Kagome and Inu Yasha's relationship, however, remained much the same. It was understood that they cared for one another, and now that Kouga no longer had possession of the shikon shards, he was no longer decent competition for Inu Yasha. In the meantime, Inu Yasha and Miroku, with the finishing touches of the ladies, built a house of reasonable size for the group, now consisting of Inu Yasha, Kagome, Shippou, Miroku, Sango, Kohaku, and now a little addition.
"Ahhhh… you've gotta love these hot springs," Kagome said to Sango as they slipped into a local onsen. The group was visiting a hot springs resort near their new home.
"You can say that again," Sango replied, gently lowering herself into a comfortable position against the nearest boulder. "This really eases the pain in my feet… bearing children isn't the most comfortable thing in the world," she giggled, remembering how she was so excited to bear his children when Miroku first proposed to her. "But," she sighed, "It is really exciting.
"And I'm looking forward to seeing whether it is a boy or a girl, and what it will look like," Kagome added. "Are you going to decorate a bedroom for it?" They giggled.
…meanwhile…
Miroku let out a sigh. He could hear the girls' conversation from his seat on the other side of the wooden wall. They were cute, talking like that, and he couldn't watch them in action. Plus, Sango was becoming even more beautiful day after day, with her growing expectations coinciding with her growing tummy. Shippou and Kohaku looked at him from across the Go board, and Inu Yasha rolled his eyes. Miroku and Kohaku were playing a game of Go, while Shippou and Inu Yasha watched. Waiting for the girls to finish bathing at a girls-only onsen was no fun. Especially not to Miroku, since he wasn't able to get a peek at what was happening on the other side of the fence.
"Oi, Miroku, what's so exciting about having a baby, anyway?" Inu Yasha asked earnestly.
"Well, there's the anticipation of seeing a result of the love between you and your wife, and the joy of raising the baby together… and of course, the baby-making process is the number one reason…" Shippou rolled his eyes. Even married, Miroku was still pretty perverted. Sensing Shippou's reaction to what he just said, Miroku changed the subject. "That aside, what are your intentions with Kagome? We all know how you feel, but Kagome is a woman, and women can't wait forever for us men to figure it out and take action."
"Tch, I know that," Inu Yasha replied, turning away from Miroku, his nose in the air. The next moment, however, his head hung lower, and he repeated what he had just said in a lower, more serious tone of voice, "I know that."
"Then, what's the problem?" Shippou asked. This question flustered Inu Yasha.
"I… I..," Inu Yasha stuttered, blushing.
"Just tell her how you feel, and ask her to marry you," Inu Yasha's blush became deeper.
"It's a little more complicated than that, Shippou. Besides, I-- I'll tell her when the time is right." Miroku sighed at Inu Yasha's excuse.
"Just don't wait too long, Inu Yasha. The right time may have already passed," was the houshi's advice.
"I know," Inu Yasha replied in a subdued tone. He had been contemplating for a long time about taking Kagome as his mate. He was sure she would accept his proposal, but for some reason he was finding it hard to ask her to share the rest of her life with him. Was it really a responsibility he was ready for? Of course, now that Naraku was out of the way, the dangers of him starting a family with Kagome were reduced considerably. It was just a matter of him finding the right "mood" (as Kagome called it) to ask her. Still.. would mating with a human shorten her life, or lengthen it? What about his life? There were so many uncertainties. And without the Shikon no Tama, there was no way to rectify the problem by his either becoming a human or her becoming a hanyou. All these things weighed heavily on Inu Yasha's mind, and were partially responsible for his failure to act on the emotions he harbored concerning Kagome.
…on the other side of the fence…
"So, how are things between you and Inu Yasha?" Sango asked her best friend.
"Fine, I guess," Kagome sighed. "Nothing is really any different from how it was after Naraku was defeated."
"Are you okay with that?" Kagome hesitated to answer.
"I guess it's okay, but-- I'm starting to wonder if this relationship is ever going to go anywhere."
"Have you tried talking to him about it?" Sango asked her friend earnestly. Kagome blushed as she answered.
"Well, the mood never seems right, and I don't know how Inu Yasha would feel if I asked him about maybe getting…" she proceeded with hesitation, and an extremely lowered voice, "… married. I just don't want him to think that I'm trying to force him into something, or trap him, you know?"
"Mm, I see," her friend nodded. "Guys can definitely be that way…" Both girls sighed.
"Hm, I guess it's time to get out," Kagome remarked, staring at her pruny fingertips.
"Yeah," Sango agreed. The two girls proceeded to get out of the hot water and get dressed.
…back to the boys…
"Hmm.. so the problem lies in finding the right 'mood,' right?" Shippou asked.
"Maybe we could create the right mood," Kohaku proposed.
"Mm," Miroku nodded. "Maybe Sango and I can prepare something," he suggested. With each remark, Inu Yasha's color looked more and more like his haori.
"You guys don't have to do anything like that," he said, embarrassed by, but grateful for their willingness to help further the relationship between himself and Kagome.
"Don't be silly, Inu Yasha." Miroku was about to continue, when they heard a scream coming from where the girls had been bathing. A wave of panic flashed across Inu Yasha's face.
"That's Kagome's voice!" Shippou exclaimed.
'And I know that scent, as well..' Inu Yasha thought to himself as he sprung from his seat and hopped over the wall behind Miroku. When he landed, he wasn't surprised by what he saw: his brother, Sesshoumaru. he was standing behind a shocked Kagome, who he could tell by the dampness of her hair, had just gotten out of the spring and dressed immediately before his half-brother appeared on the scene. They were both facing Inu Yasha, and Sesshoumaru's hand rested on Kagome's right shoulder. Sango and Kagome had left their weapons with the boys, and had no way to defend themselves. Sango stood by where Inu Yasha had just appeared- on the opposite side of the heated pool of water. Shippou, Kohaku, and Miroku flew over the fence and also took offensive positions behind Inu Yasha.
"Sesshoumaru!" Inu Yasha growled his typical response to his brother's appearance.
"Inu Yasha," Sesshoumaru began in a perfectly calm, controlled voice, "I'm borrowing your woman for a little while."
"Tch, like I'll let you do that!"
"Hm, as expected," he said softly to himself. Sesshoumaru's countenance, as always, remained unchanged. "I will take her for a few months, maybe more. Do not worry, she will be granted visits to you every so often."
"We'll see about that," He drew the transformed Tetsusaiga.
"Hmph," Sesshoumaru smirked. "There will not be a fight tonight, Inu Yasha." And before Inu Yasha could react, Sesshoumaru flew off, taking Kagome with him.
A/N: Well, how did you like it so far? I know it's a cliffie, but... still... Anyway, please review! I hope you liked it! I should be accepting all forms of reviews... though, it's been awhile since I've written a story on here. It seems like it'll be my longest one so far, though.. Hmm. But... Review! Anyway, also, if anyone knows how to use asterisks, and stuff, let me know.. because I felt like a lamer, having to write out "...meanwhile..." etc., and having to bold it and underline it, to make it stand out. Heh. Yeah.
karen